The Legend of Vulpix: Leaf of Time
by EeveeInHeat
Summary: Follow an Eevee on his quest to save the land of Hyrule. By collecting the three stones, he opens the hidden door in the Temple of Time. In a flash, everything is different, and he must find another way to stop the evil fiend that is set on ruling Hyrule and capturing the princess. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in Pokemon form. VixenShipping.
1. Link

**Summary:** An Eevee with a strange mark finds that he is destined for more than escaping the bullies of the forest. Now, he must save the whole world from a powerful villain as the Hero of Time or the Hero of Sky, whichever one he's supposed to be. Follow him as he finds hardship, action, and a lot of oddities.

**Disclaimer: **Hmm . . . though it's obvious, I'll say it. I do not own Pokemon or Zelda, just the OC's. If I owned them, Zorua wouldn't evolve, Eevee would be stronger, and Link would have ended up with Malon. However, that's my opinion.

**Author's Note: **This is a Pokemon parody of "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time", where the characters have been replaced with Pokemon. However, though based mostly off the manga, this story is one of my own, which means that the plot will not be the exact same. Yes, there is another one like this called "The Legend of Eevee: Pokeflute of Time" by that one little guy. If you like to laugh, I recommend you read it, also. Yes I did ask, and he gave me permission to start my own since he was the first one to actually follow through with the idea. However, while it was a more humor oriented story, being based right off the game, this story is based off the manga, and will be more adventure and realistic oriented. Kudos to that one little guy for coming up with this idea first. One more thing, I know I kept his name the same here, but Link is a very cool name, so I chose to keep it. -EeveeInHeat

**The Legend of Vulpix: Leaf of Time**

- **Chapter 1: Link **-

Thunder cracked overhead as the figure ran through the night. The lightning temporarily lit up the scene, revealing a pink fur creature rushing through the rain, a ball of brown fur in its mouth. Small trails of red were coming down its side as it ran. In between the claps of thunder, one could hear muffled panting and a low wailing came from them. Behind it, on the horizon, one could see smoke coming up and blackening the already stormy sky from a large fire on a large structure.

The creature almost stumbled as it went along, but kept its balance and kept going. Eventually, it came to rest in the one place it knew would be safe. A large tree, easily blocking all the rain, was towering over it. It looked up for a second as another creature appeared. Too weak to continue holding its head up, it let its head fall against the grass and instead decided to use her powers. It didn't know who this was, but as it felt her life waning, it knew it had to trust it and gave its final plead before closing its eyes for the final time.

Back where the fire had started a large dark figure rose out of the fire as though unaffected by any of it. It reared its head back and crackled manically as thunder clapped overhead again. Darkness came again as the lightning left. When the next bolt came, nothing was there.

(0)

The heap of fur wrestled around on the floor, sweating profusely before suddenly jerking awake. He glanced around and saw that his leaf nest was scattered around his burrow, again. He sat up and focused on slowing down his breath. He raised a paw to his forehead and realized his was drenched in sweat, which wasn't good with his long fur.

"I had that dream again," he murmured to himself. Just thinking about it made him shake for a second. By the time he had gotten his erratic breathing under control, the nightmare had once again started to slip his mind until he could barely recall even small parts of it.

Sighing, he slipped out of the burrow and walked over to the small pond near his burrow. He almost jumped as he saw the state he was in in his reflection. He tentatively touched a paw to the surface of the pond before jerking it back and shaking the few icy droplets away. He really didn't like to get wet, especially in cold water, but he knew he needed to wash the stinking sweat out of his fur.

He took a deep breath to prepare himself . . . and was thrown in. Sputtering out water, he frantically got his head above the water. Fortunately, though he didn't know how to swim, the water was only a foot deep, allowing him to keep his head up if he got on his hind legs.

He was still coughing out water and trying to get it out of his eyes, when a familiar, annoying voice asked, "Is it cold, Eve?" The mocking tone made it clear that there was no concern intended.

He growled at the demeaning nickname. Of course he didn't have a girl name like Eve. His real name was Link, but they called him it both as a humiliation and a joke of him being an Eevee. He wasn't surprised who he saw when he cleared his eyes. Standing on the shore was a Bellsprout, Treecko, and Gloom smirking at him.

"What was that for, Midon?" Link asked, trying to move back to the shore.

Midon, the Bellsprout, moved in his way, blocking him from climbing out. "I asked, is it cold, Eve?" Midon repeated, tapping one of his root-like feet.

"Sorry, but I'm sure whoever Eve is can speak, now let me out," Link said, trying to force his way through.

Midon looked surprised for a second that he would resist, but smirked again. Suddenly, Link was whacked in the face by something, before bouncing off with its pointed toes. Link once again struggled to get his head above water before turning toward the now larger group. Now, three small pink forms stood next to the Grass-type Pokemon. Link knew that they were the small creatures that accompanied the occupants of the forest around as loyal companions. These three were all easily recognizable as Cleffa with their large brown ears.

"What are you going to do now? You don't even know any attacks," Midon taunted, the others laughing at the cruel joke.

Link suddenly found a burst of courage and replied, "Yep, I don't know one attack and it still takes six of you to stop me."

Midon glared at Link at the prick at his pride. "You're just jealous that you don't have a companion. Everyone knows that a companion is part of someone," he said, crossing his leaf arms and looking away triumphantly.

Link flinched at the barb. The statement was true. Everyone had a companion from birth, except for him. He was the only one, which of course led to teasing compiled with the fact that he knew no attacks. Luckily, the thing that singled him out even more went unnoticed by the others. A small triangle of cream colored fur stood prominent on his forehead, but he had successfully learned to hide it well enough with his brown fur so that one had to be looking for it to see it.

"Hey, leave Link alone," a voice said. The owner soon appeared, revealing its sand colored pelt and leaf headdress and tail. A Togepi followed diligently behind it.

"Rose!" Midon exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" he asked nervously.

"You were messing around with Link again, weren't you?" she asked sternly, coming right up to him. "You leave Link alone and get out of here," she said, her headdress leaf signaling for them to leave.

Midon gave one last glare at Link before turning and leaving with his crew. Link got out of the pond, though he let the water drip off him rather than shake with Rose right there.

Rose turned to him and smiled. "Hey, Link. They didn't hurt you, did they?" she asked.

_Besides wounding my pride and then being saved by a girl, no, not at all,_ Link sarcastically thought. However, all he said was, "No."

Rose raised her head and suddenly shot a yellow orb into the sky. The sun immediately got brighter. "There; now you'll be able to dry faster," she said.

"You're almost as small as me with all your fur wet," her Togepi commented, though it was smiling.

Link sighed; he felt drenched to the core, though the sun was already starting to help dry it. However, Eevee have long fur, which meant it could be hours before he fully dried out his sponge like fur.

Rose suddenly pressed against him. "Come on; let's go for a walk. That will help dry your fur faster," she said.

Link smiled and followed her. Being a Leafeon, they had quickly become friends. In fact, she was the only Leafeon around, and him, the only Eevee. Rose's fur seemed to glow slightly in the strong sunlight as they went along.

Link suddenly perked up as he remembered something. "Hey, I have something to show you," he said, walking away from Rose some.

"Really?" she asked.

"Watch," Link said.

Link looked around and finally found what he was looking for: a small pebble. Next he looked up for the nearest fruit tree. Seeing a delicious apple hanging nearby, Link locked on it as his target. Link got near and put the tip of his tail next to it. He then quickly twitched his tail and the pebble went soaring. He grinned as it hit the target and the apple fell to the ground.

"See? I found a way to get the fruit in the hard to climb trees," Link explained.

"Wow," Rose exclaimed.

Link picked up the apple and put it in front of Rose. "Here, for you," he said, taking a step back.

Rose gave him another one of her sweet smiles. "That's sweet; thanks," she said gratefully.

Link simply sat and waited patiently for her to finish his gift. However, unseen by both, Midon was hiding behind one of the bushes, watching everything. "How dare he do that! Come to think of it, though, why didn't I think of that?" he murmured. "That's it! I'll just bring her a better apple."

He turned and released his Razor Leaf at the first apple he saw. However, a Pansage had been picking it and fell with the apple. Angry, the monkey-like Pokemon and his Togepi immediately started to chase Midon and his companion.

Link and Rose glanced over at some bushes as they heard a commotion, but ignored it. "That was great, Link," Rose said, a slight purr in her voice.

Link blushed and just muttered, "It wasn't that great."

"Are you kidding? That could possibly even become a move like Rock Shot, or Tail Flick," Rose said. They both burst out laughing at Rose's crazy names. After a little, their laughter finally resided and she continued, "But really, who else could come up with something like that?"

Link shrugged. "Well, someone weird like me, I guess," he muttered, remembering what Midon had said earlier.

Rose suddenly turned stern like before. "Link, you're not weird. Just because you don't have a companion doesn't mean anything. Besides, if you become a Leafeon, maybe then you'll get a companion. However, you're special all on your own. Maybe that's why you don't have a companion, you great enough all on your own," she said, her stern look fading back into her smile as she went on.

Her Togepi beamed beside her.

Link raised his head more proudly. "Thanks, Rose," he said.

Rose nodded before grinning widely. "Come on; I'll play my Leaf," she said. Link eagerly got up with her. Rose reached down and pulled a leaf out that was hidden next to the leaves on her chest. It was long and curled slightly. The little twig curled around in a tied circle. This was her 'Leaf' that she played. Usually, it was called a Grasswhistle, or Leaf Flute. However, they just called it a Leaf for short.

Rose put it up to her mouth and started to blow on it. She started to play a quick paced tune that they started to run around to. They spent the rest of the day playing and laughing. Soon, the sun was starting to go down. They laid down next to each other and watched as the sky changed colors.

Suddenly, Link remembered his dream, or at least, part of it. "Hey, Rose?" he started.

"Yeah," she replied, turning to him.

"I keep having these dreams or nightmares, but whenever I have them, I forget it. All I can remember is lots of fire and smoke. Oh and there was some kind of thingy that was all gray colored with pointed tops," Link said, just realizing how vague he sounded.

Rose thought for a second before saying, "The thing sounds like a building."

"A building?" he asked.

"Grace talks about them sometimes. Maybe you should ask her tomorrow," Rose suggested. Grace was the guardian and more or less the leader of the forest Pokemon. She gave all kinds of advice and seemed extremely wise. Also, she treated Link nice and was the closest thing to a parent he had ever had.

"Good idea," Link said, before suddenly yawning.

"Well, it's getting late. Good night, Link," Rose said, walking away.

"Good night," Link replied. Getting up, he headed back to his burrow. He remade his bed and curled up. As Link laid down, he started thinking; _I wonder what a building is. And where are they, if they're real? Are they outside the forest? Could I go outside the forest? No, probably not. _Even thinking about what a building could be and why he was dreaming about it, Link soon fell asleep.

(0)

A small figure stood in front of a large tree as a shadow approached. The creature finally came out of the shadows, showing its large form. However, the small figure stood firm. "I know you have bad intentions. Leave now," it demanded.

The large menace gave a crackling laugh before suddenly leaping over the small figure. "You have no power at night, little weakling," it said, before laughing again. "Soon, I'll have what I came for." It suddenly started to burrow into the ground between two roots of the massive trees.

"No, stop," the small creature cried. However, it couldn't do anything in its current form. Quickly, it sent out a mental call for help, finally finding a presence somewhere. It started to sway a little. It grounded its teeth, unsure it if could last. It needed the boy, now.


	2. Grace and the Great Tree

**Author's Note: **The character Sallah, introduced in this chapter, is actually based off a character in a book I recently read. That character made a great impact on me, so I gave that name as a tribute. Also, that character matches the one in this story pretty well by actions and personality, so if you know what Sallah I'm referring to, then you'll know part of the ending. Here's the only hint: the last name was Telgar. Anyway, here's the next chapter. -EeveeInHeat

**The Legend of Vulpix: Leaf of Time**

- **Chapter 2:** **Grace and the Great Tree** -

A small Pokemon woke to a nudge. Coming out of its sleeping state, it looked around in the dawning sunlight that was filtering through the trees. However, it could see no one nearby. It suddenly felt another nudge and realized that the nudge was mental, not physical. It had only a second to realize that it was Grace before her mind retreated from its.

Now it was worried. Grace wasn't the one to play jokes, and she would usually tell it what it needed to do mentally. Concerned, it immediately started out to Grace. After walking through the dense forest for a little, it finally came to a large clearing. Small, pink, blossoming flowers covered the meadow, going all the way up to the Great Tree. The Great Tree was the largest tree in the forest by far. It towered over the forest, its branches soaring into the sky.

For some reason, though, the tree seemed to fading, as though losing its color. It became really worried when it saw a mound of dirt in between two of the roots of the Great Tree, a large hole right next to it.

The Pokemon walked into the meadow, looking around cautiously. It gasped as it finally saw Grace, lying on the ground. It rushed up to Grace and shook her slightly. "Grace, are you alright?" it asked, its voice low.

"No. An evil has come to the forest in search of power. The Great Tree is starting to die," Grace almost whispered. She tried to stand, but fell back down after a second.

"Oh, no!" it responded. "What can I do?"

"I need you to go get him and bring him here," Grace said. "I need you to bring the child without a companion. He's needed."

"I'll go get him. Hold on, Grace," it said, before turning and running out of the meadow.

(0)

Link wearily woke to someone shouting. Grumpy, he yawned and stretched, accidently scattering his leaf bed again. He glanced over to see a small Pokemon being the cause of the noise. He knew it was a Togepi by the eggshell it was still wearing.

"Who are you?" Link asked.

"I'm Sallah. Grace has sent me to get you," she said impatiently.

"Wait, you're a companion," Link said slowly. He jumped up as his thinking started up. "Yes, I've finally got a companion!" he shouted, leaping up into the air. Unfortunately, his burrow wasn't that tall, so he hit his head on the ceiling, hard. "That hurt," he muttered, rubbing his head.

Dirt started to then fall onto Link's head. He glanced up just as the ceiling caved in on top of him. When the dust dissipated, Midon was sitting on top of Link, blinking in surprise. Midon's Cleffa jumped down the new skylight and started hopping around Midon.

Link groaned and stuck his head out of the pile of dirt. "Oh, come on; right after I washed up, too." He then glanced up and saw Midon. "What are you doing here? Never mind, just get off; you're heavily than you look."

Sallah impatiently waited, tapping her small foot, as Link finally got out of the pile of dirt. Midon was grinning as he walked out the entrance, as though he had been planning that all along, while his Cleffa copied his prideful walk out. He stopped abruptly outside the entrance and exclaimed, "What's happening!"

Still shaking off the dirt, Link walked outside to see what the Grass-type was gawking about. He stopped and stared along with Midon as he saw it also. The grass and plants nearby were starting to lose their color, a slight purple tone appearing inside the plants.

"Something is happening to the Great Tree, Link," Sallah said, coming out after them. "Grace told me to bring you now."

"Come on," Link said. He started to rush toward the large flower clearing that the Great Tree was in, and where Grace could always be found. Midon and Sallah ran after him.

Link slowed down as he entered the clearing. In the clearing, in front of the Great Tree, was Grace. Link instantly realized something was wrong; she was in her land form instead of her usual sky form during the day. Like most Shaymin, when they came in contact with a Gracidea flower, which was the flower that was covering the meadow, they would change from their small shrub-like appearance into a taller, mostly white creature that could fly. It would change back in the night or in the cold, but Grace was laying in the sunlight, in the middle of a patch of Gracidea, yet was still in land form.

Link ran over to Grace. "Grace, what happened? Are you okay? Grace!" he shouted as he shook her slightly. Midon and Sallah ran up beside him.

Grace opened one eye slowly, though she had a pained expression on her face. "Link, you must help. The forest is in danger. Follow the evil down and defeat it," she said. Her eye closed after she finished.

"Follow the evil? Defeat it? What does she mean?" Link asked anxiously, looking up at Sallah.

"Link! Midon! I heard yelling. What's-" Rose asked, rushing up. She stopped as she saw the state that Grace was in. Others were starting to come into the clearing from the forest.

"Grace said that an evil had come to the forest. I think it's down in that hole," Sallah said, pointing to the dark hole between the Great Tree's roots. "It must be killing the Great Tree with its digging."

Link stared at the hole for a second before making up his mind. "I'm going down after it," he announced.

"Link, what are you talking about?" Rose asked, coming up to him, "It's something evil; you can't go down after it!"

Link shook his head. "I can. Besides, I'm the one Grace chose to go after it. I have to go down after it," he said.

"And I'm going, too!" Midon said, puffing out his stem chest and stepping forward dramatically. "If he can do it, so can I!" His Cleffa took a step, too, though it was shivering slightly.

Link started toward the tunnel, Midon only a step behind him. As he was about to go down the tunnel, he heard Rose shout, "Be careful, Link!" Link glanced back and nodded, before turning back to his goal. The tunnel that had been dug was large enough for him and Midon to travel side by side. He took a step and found that the ground was firm.

Taking a deep breath, Link started down the tunnel. He had to be careful not fall forward with the steep angle downward, which was even harder for a quadruped like him. After about a hundred feet down, it stopped and started out horizontally into three tunnels. There was barely enough light coming through into the tunnels to see a few yards into them. Roots could be seen against the walls, with some even hanging from the ceiling.

Link was almost fully down, when something pushed him from behind and he fell forward, bruising his sensitive nose on the ground. He angrily got up and turned around to see Midon glaring at him. "What was that for?" Link demanded.

Midon leapt down in front of him and pointed one of his leaf arms in his face. "Rose is mine. Stop trying to show off in front of her," he said.

Now Link was confused. "What?" he asked.

"You know what I mean," he said, before walking past Link toward one of the tunnels.

Link stared after, still confused, when he realized where he was going. "Umm, Midon?"

"Be quiet. I can do this all on my-" he started. Before he finished, he walked into the tunnel on the left, right into a giant web. "AHH!" he screamed, frantically trying to get out and only managing to get himself more caught.

"I tried to warn you," Link said.

"Just be quiet and help me get out," Midon ordered. His Cleffa simply started to run on the floor while laughing, not making Midon feel any better.

"Or you could just slice your way out with your sharp leaves," Link suggested.

Midon stopped and paused for a second. "Of course," he said, starting to cut the web, "I was just about to do that myself."

_Sure you were,_ Link thought. "Okay then, it's my turn. Let's take that one," Link said, pointing to the only one without webs.

Midon, now fully out, simply looked away. "Go ahead; you can take the easy way. I'll continue my way," he said. He looked toward the web filled tunnel and pulled both his arms back. "Razor Leaf attack!" he yelled dramatically. He threw his arms forward and several leaves shot out, easily cutting through the web strands. A small pathway was left for about a hundred feet. Midon confidently walked down the path, his Cleffa bouncing along beside him.

Link shrugged at Midon's thoughts and started down his tunnel. Before long, he came to a turn. He cautiously looked around it, before continuing. All the way down, he couldn't help but feel a strange sense of dread. He took another bend in the tunnel, only to find a shadow in his path.

Link jumped as he saw it, but calmed down as he realized that it was only a Spinarak, one of the common forest Pokemon. Link was just about to walk by, when it blocked his path.

"Look, I don't know who you are, but I've to get by and defeat some evil thing to save the Great Tree," Link said.

The Spinarak looked at him for a second, before suddenly lunging at him. Link hurriedly jumped out of the way. He looked back and saw that the Spinarak was tapping its pincers together. Realizing that it was going to use String Shot, Link leapt to the side again. The thread passed him and hit the ceiling, dangling down afterwards.

Link didn't know what to do. In all his hurry, the thought about fighting without any attacks hadn't occurred to him. How could he defeat anything without knowing any attacks? Then, Rose's words came back to him. 'That could possibly even become a move like Rock Shot, or Tail Flick.' He could use his new trick.

Glancing around, he realized that he would have plenty of ammo in this tunnel. He dodged as another strand of web came at him. Aiming quickly, he flicked his tail twice, throwing two small, sharp rocks toward the Spinarak. They hit it right on the head.

The Spinarak swayed for a second, before shaking its head. Somehow, its eyes seemed different now as it looked around in confusion. "Where am I?" it asked.

"You were down here and then just attacked me," Link said.

The Spinarak looked generally surprised. "I'm sorry," it said. "All I can remember, though, is seeing some dark shadow in the bushes, and then, nothing."

"Follow this tunnel and then go up to get out. I've got to go rescue the Great Tree," Link said.

The Spinarak nodded before running down the tunnel, soon going out of sight.

_He didn't remember anything. Was he brainwashed? Maybe he was hypnotized,_ Link thought, as he continued down the path.

Finally, he came to an intersection. Two paths led to the left and right. While the path to the right seemed larger, the path to the left seemed slightly lighter. After a little thought, Link concluded that the lighter one meant that it led to the surface, so he turned toward the one to the right.

However, before he could continue any further, he heard a very uncharacteristic scream, followed by the patter of thin feet hitting the ground, slowly getting louder. Link crouched down to get ready for a fight and pulled a few stones into a pile with his tail, ready to be flicked.

Soon, Link could see the silhouettes of a Bellsprout and a Cleffa running toward him. A few seconds later, three short silhouettes appeared behind them. The silhouettes of the Bellsprout and Cleffa finally came into focus, proving Link's guess that it was Midon and his Cleffa.

Midon suddenly saw Link and screamed, "Crazy Spinarak!"

When Midon finally passed him, Link flicked his tail out twice, sending two stones flying. Two of the approaching Spinarak were hit in the head, tripping them up. The middle one continued to approached, readying a shot of webbing.

Link was about to flick another stone, when Midon suddenly jumped in front of him and sent off a Razor Leaf, giving off some sort of battle cry. The sharp leaves curved around and hit the Spinarak on both sides. The Spinarak fell to the ground, never getting the chance to use String Shot.

"And that's how Midon rolls," Midon said, puffing out his chest.

Link chose to ignore the comment and checked on the recovering Spinarak. The Spinarak were getting up, but they appeared to be of their senses this time. Satisfied, he turned to go down the tunnel he had been about to go down. "Come on; we have to stop this thing before it does any more damage," he said, starting down the path.

"I'll just tag along," Midon said. "I can't let a fellow forest Pokemon get killed, after all," he added. Link was surprised at the statement, as it was probably the first nice thing Midon had said to him.

The light gradually grew weaker and weaker. They were so far underground, Link wondered how there was any light at all. Then, just as they heard the sound of earth shifting nearby, Link wondered how they could defeat the thing that made these tunnels in the dark.


	3. Last Request

**Author's Note: **Please Review and tell me what you think of this parody so far. Anyway, time for the dramatic battle scene. -EeveeInHeat

**The Legend of Vulpix: Leaf of Time**

- **Chapter 3: Last Request** -

Link mind started to work against him as the sound of digging stopped. It was way too dark to see, let alone battle this thing. How would they make it? He glanced over at where he thought Midon was, but he couldn't see him. This was bad.

"Uh, Link? What's our battle plan?" Midon asked nervously.

The silence afterword was punctured by the sound of tapping from several feet, slowly coming closer. "Who dares interrupt my search?" a voice asked, echoing through the tunnel. Link could suddenly see several glowing eyes in the darkness.

They needed light, which was outside. Then an idea came to Link. "Run!" he yelled to Midon, hoping he would take the advice. He turned and quickly started running down the tunnel, back the way they came. He heard pattering beside him, and only knew it was Midon when he started screaming.

"I won't let you get away that easily," the voice said ominously, a crackling laugh coming afterward. Link just hoped that it was following them.

Soon, the tunnel was getting lighter as they got closer to the surface. Soon, they were back at the intersection where they had met back up. Link decided the light enough to battle and stopped, turning to face their opponent. Midon ran a few more steps before realizing Link had stopped.

Behind them, approaching slowly now that they had stopped, was a large yellow creature that struck fear into Link from just looking at it. It was much larger than him and Midon. The creature had four large legs that went up, bending half way to touch the ground. This kept the creature low to the ground even with its size. Its pointed feet were a dull, dark blue. It had two large pincers covered in its yellow fur on its face. It had two large eyes with four smaller ones between them that locked on Link and Midon. Its underside was a purple, with a few purple striped on its back, while blue fur spiked up at the sides. It stopped about ten feet away.

"It's a Galvantula," Midon whispered, his face turning a pale yellow.

"I will silence you both and find the stone. You will not stop me. I must find the stone," it said, staring them down. Link didn't know what a Galvantula's eyes looked like, but he wondered if this Pokemon was being manipulated also. Maybe it was the one to confuse the others.

The Galvantula suddenly started coming forward again. Link quickly reacted, flicking a pebble at it. It hit it right on the head. However, unlike the Spinarak, this Pokemon continued as though it hadn't felt the rock at all.

Link glanced back at Midon and saw that he was frozen in place as he stared at their opponent. "Midon, do something!" Link yelled, flicking another rock. The rock just hit one of its legs and bounced away harmlessly. He needed a better attack.

"Take this!" Midon suddenly yelled. Several leaves passed him and went straight for the Galvantula. The Pokemon paused as the leaves hit it, closing its eyes until the attack was over. However, it didn't seem to be hurt from the attack at all.

"You cannot take me down," it boasted, starting toward them again.

Midon shot another volley at it. This time, the Galvantula countered. It charged up and then shot a shining, net-like attack toward them. The leaves hit it and fried, dropping harmlessly to the ground. Link quickly jumped out of the way of the attack before the electrified net could hit him. Link stopped right before he rammed into the wall. He would have to be careful not to get pinned here.

The attack continued and then hit the wall farther down. The electricity continued, illuminating the area a little more. The Galvantula gave another crackling laugh as it started to approach again. Link glanced over and saw that Midon was against the other wall of the tunnel. Now they were separated to top it all off.

Link looked at the Galvantula again, looking for any weak points. Then he came up with one as he looked at its face. Its eyes were large and could easily be hit. Link aimed and then flicked another pebble. He found his aim true as the rock hit the Galvantula in one of its large eyes. The Galvantula cried out and backed up a step. So it was a weakness.

Suddenly, the Galvantula rose on its hind legs and cried out loudly. It dropped back down, the wounded eye closed and already swelling. Link was just about to try attacking again, when he heard the pattering of more feet, coming from behind them. Link and Midon looked back to see two extremely smaller versions of the Galvantula. They looked much less menacing as they were smaller than Midon's Cleffa, but Link didn't like how there were now outnumbered.

"I'll hold these Joltik off," Midon yelled, stepping toward them. His Cleffa stayed behind him, scared. He released a Razor Leaf, pushing the two back slightly. However, most of his attack was stopped by the electricity that suddenly shot off their body.

"Okay," Link affirmed. He got slightly away from the wall to prevent being pinned. The Galvantula watched his movements, having heard their plan.

Link quickly flicked another pebble at the beast, but it moved slightly, making it hit it above the eyes in the same place as the first time. Its pincers started to glow as it began to charge a counter attack. Link dived to the side, barely dodging the large lightning web it shot at him. The attack kept going and hit one of the Joltik. The Joltik fell under the weight of the web, though the electricity didn't seem to hurt it much.

Link quickly turned his attention back to the Galvantula. It didn't seem at all affected by the loss of one of its comrades. Link flicked another pebble, but it once again moved, getting hit on the upper forehead. It winced slightly as it hit this time, though. Maybe it was finally getting through its skin.

Link had no more time to think as the Galvantula suddenly lurched forward, ending the distance between them. Link was grabbed by the pincers of the Pokemon and then slammed against the wall. Link tried to wiggle out, but the pincers held him tight. Link cried out as he was then shocked. The Galvantula had shocked him using its pincers. He needed to escape now.

However, try as he might, he could only move his head slightly and his tail. Then he remembered his attack. He felt with his tail for a stone on the ground, while the Galvantula charged up for another attack. He finally found a stone and tried to aim, though it was hard to do while he was pinned. The Galvantula was finally ready to attack again, so Link flicked the pebble. It missed its eyes, but hit it in the head, again. This time, the Galvantula dropped him and started to sway. Link jumped out of the way and as it fell to the side, unconscious.

Link looked around and saw Midon finishing up with the Joltik he had been facing. The other Joltik had escaped and ran some time ago, as it was nowhere in sight. The electricity on the web against the wall and ground were starting to fade, leaving them in what seemed to be darker light than before. It took a little before Link's eyes were able to adjust to the new darkness.

"We did it!" Midon cheered. "We defeated the evil Galvantula!"

Link just sighed with relief. He was glad it was over, but the feeling of accomplishment and how they had helped was worth it. He glanced over at the Galvantula and froze as he saw it getting up. Midon apparently saw it, too, as he screamed and hid behind Link, his Cleffa hiding behind him.

"Where . . . where am I?" the Galvantula asked, looking around in confusion.

"What do you last remember?" Link asked, guessing the situation.

"Umm, the last I remember, I was going to sleep," it said hesitantly. "Who are you, anyway?" it asked, turning to Link and Midon.

"I'm Link and this is Midon. We came here to stop the evil being attacking the Great Tree. You were the one attacking," Link said bluntly.

"What? I wasn't . . . was I?" it said, confused.

Link nodded. "I think you were being controlled by someone else," he explained. "Like being hypnotized or brainwashed. Do you remember anything like that?"

"No. I am sorry if I've caused any trouble. I will leave you in peace, now. Thank you for getting me back to my sense," it said, starting to head pass them.

"We better go, too, so the others don't attack it," Link told Midon. Midon simply nodded his head, looking fearfully at the Galvantula.

Link and Midon followed the Galvantula out, the sunlight feeling somehow stronger as they came out. Link was immediately enveloped in a hug as he came out. After a second, Link realized it was Rose. "You're okay, Link," she exclaimed. Link blushed at her affection and awkwardly returned the hug.

Midon was tapping his foot angrily when Rose released him from the hug, but Rose ignored him. She didn't seem to mind the large Galvantula right beside her, though. Link quickly headed over to Grace, who was now sitting up in the field. Other various forest Pokemon were there, but they had left a large circled around her for Link to approach.

"You did well, Link . . . Midon," she said, adding Midon when he came up, his chest puffing out proudly. Link smiled at her praise, but then gasped as he realized that she was still in her land form while sitting around Gracidea. "Yes," she said, reading his expression, "I am in my land form. While you did manage to free the evil holding the Pokemon and the Galvantula, I was affected too much.

"In order to protect the forest from the evil seeping into the roots of the plants and the trees, I took the power into my own body to stop it. Unfortunately, it is too much. I will not live much longer."

Everyone gasped at her announcement. Link felt unbidden tears come to his eyes as he found out that the only one who had treated like their own child was now going to die. "But . . . but you can't die, Grace," he said, the tears now starting to flow.

"Everyone dies at some point, Link. It's what makes life so precious. It is my time to go, as is the Great Tree's. Me and the Great Tree are connected, and therefore, will die together. This is why I was able to stop so much of the evil trying to spread," she explained.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know what . . ." the Galvantula said, stopping as he found no words to explain himself. Honest tears were forming in his eyes and Link wondered if he lived somewhere in the forest, also.

"Do not worry; I know this is not you're doing. There is a much greater evil out there that was controlling you and the others. The one who truly did this is the black coated master of the desert people. He plans to rule all of Hyrule, the land that we are in, by taking control of the Triforce," Grace explained.

"What's the Triforce?" Link asked, listening intently to Grace.

"The Triforce is the power given by the legendary Pokemon to help govern the land," Grace started to explain. "Power, though, is neither good nor bad. It reflects the wielder. So, if a person with a pure heart were to take the power of the Triforce, the world would become good and just. However, if a person with an evil heart were to touch it, the world would fall in chaos and be controlled by evil.

"Something horrible is drawing near Hyrule that will destroy it. We must not allow the evil Pokemon to get his hands on it. With your abilities, I believe you can stop him, Link," Grace said, a strong conviction behind her words. "You must be the one."

"But . . . Why me? I can't fight someone like that," Link said.

"It must be you, for you were destined for this long ago. You must leave the forest and grow in the outside world, Link," Grace explained.

Link and a few others gasped at her proposal. No one left the forest, for it was dangerous out of the trees, where they were protected. No one alive had ever ventured outside the trees. Link set his face though. He would do it, for Grace asked him to. Hyrule needed him.

"Link, you must go to the Hyrule Castle and to the princess that has also been destined," Grace said. Suddenly she closed her eyes. Link thought something was wrong for a second, before the ground next to her started to split. Small vines came up from the ground in a thick tangle. The vines then separated, revealing a green stone sitting there. "You must give her this stone. It is the Eternal Leaf Stone, the sacred stone of the forest. This is what the evil Pokemon wanted. Take good care of it." Grace nodded for him to take it.

Link came up and could see the stone more clearly. He had seen Leaf Stones before, but this one was different. Like others, there was a green leaf inside. Unlike others, the rest of the stone was like the green, golden light shifting down through the tree leaves on a summer day. It seemed to almost glow, though it gave off no light. A thin, golden strand went around the sides in a twisting pattern. Link reverently picked it up, staring at the beauty of the stone.

"You are a good boy, Link. Your mother would have been proud. Please, accept this last gift from me," Grace said. She came up to Link and pressed her snout against his forehead when he leaned down some. Link suddenly felt a surge of information enter his head. The thoughts were confusing at first, swirling around in his head, but they soon settled, though Link wasn't sure what it all was. "That is my final gift. That is how you use the move called Bite, which is something you can use to protect yourself. I believe in you, Link," she said.

"Thank you, Grace. I will do as you say," Link said, his tears flowing even more now.

"Grace . . ." Sallah started, stepping up beside Link.

"Sallah, you did well bringing Link. Thank you. Please help Link on his quest. He could do well with your guidance," she said.

Sallah numbly nodded in agreement.

"Thank you all for what time we've been together, everyone. Goodbye," Grace said, facing the crowd. Then she laid down and slowly closed her eyes, a small smile on her face.

Several of the yelled out Grace's name, but most just cried as their wise guider died. Suddenly, there was a bright light coming from Grace, and then it stopped just as quickly as it came. Link looked back to see Grace gone. In her place, were several new Gracidea flowers, just starting to bloom.

Link cried for a while, before he finally got up. He would make sure that he did as Grace asked. He turned and saw Sallah waiting beside him. "Nice to meet you, Sallah," Link greeted.

"You, too, Link," she replied.

Link started to go forward, but stopped as he realized that there was really no easy way for him to carry the Eternal Leaf Stone around as he was a quadruped creature. He was just wondering what to do, when Midon came up. "Here," he said, shoving something toward Link. "Take this."

Link looked down to see a small, brown, pouch like thing. There was a small loop connected, just wide enough for Link's head. "What's this?" he asked.

"It's a pouch for the stone. I thought you would need it where you're going," Midon said, not really looking at him.

"Thank you," Link said, surprised at Midon's generosity. He slipped his head through the loop and the pouch settled against his side, mostly hidden in his mane fur. Sallah took the Eternal Leaf Stone and put in into the pouch, closing the small flap.

"Now, you get going and make sure not to die," Midon said, still not looking at him.

Link smiled and nodded, though Midon didn't see it. Link turned and started to head into the trees, heading for the border of the forest. As he entered the trees, he began to run. The cool air hitting him as he concentrated on running helped him to calm down after what had just happened. Sallah kept pace beside him, doing a little bounce like run that kept up with his speed.

Finally, he saw the edge of the forest in front of him. He slowed down to a walk, a little hesitant about just leaving the safety of what he had always called home. He came up to the last few trees and stared out at the vast grassland beyond. That was where he was to go.

"You're leaving," a voice said. It was more a statement than a question.

Link turned to see that Rose was walking up to him. "Rose . . ." he started. "I've always wondered why I was different than all the others. Now, I'll be really going out into the world and I'll be able to see everything. But," he said, pausing for a moment, "this forest will always be my home, Rose. I'll come back one day."

Rose smiled. "Right," she said, coming up to him. "Here, take my Leaf," she said, holding out the curled instrument. "Play it and remember the forest, okay?"

"Okay," Link promised. He bent his head down and she slipped it behind his ear, the easiest way that he had always carried it.

"Goodbye," Rose said. She suddenly leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek. Link stood there, stunned, as Rose turned around and walked away back into the depths of the forest.

"Well? Are we going?" Sallah asked, snapping his attention back to the present.

"Oh, yeah," Link said. They turned and walked outside the forest together, starting their journey.


	4. The Start of Things to Come

****Author's Note:** **I am truely sorry to all those that read this chapter when I messed up. I accidently switched this and chapter 4 of "Silver", so sorry. I was an accident, not a April's Fools joke, so I am really sorry. Anyway, here is the actual chapter 4. What will probably be my favorite chapters are the next few ones. -EeveeInHeat

**The Legend of Vulpix: Leaf of Time**

- **Chapter 4: The Start of Things to Come **-

Link walked through the waving grass, trying to contain himself as the tall grass brushed against his stomach. Sallah was bouncing along happily beside him as they went. The sun was shining brightly, with only a few clouds in the sky that moved quickly across as the breeze came. It was a rather nice day out.

Link sniffed the air as they continued, having never been outside the forest. "Isn't this great, Sallah?" he asked. "It goes on for as far as the eye can see," he commented.

"It's great. How far do you think it is to Hyrule Castle?" Sallah asked.

Link suddenly stopped as he realized something. "Umm, speaking of which . . . which way is Hyrule Castle?" Link asked. "In fact, we are we?"

Sallah gasped and they both started to frantically look around. However, they had gone so far from the forest, all they could see in any direction was the grass. There didn't seem to be anything else. They were lost.

After a moment of fruitless searching, Link just started to walk in one direction. Sallah quickly hopped over to catch up. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"Well, I'm going to keep moving and face what we come against. We have to get somewhere sometime. We can ask for directions then," Link said, picking up his step a little.

"So we're just going to walk around aimlessly?" Sallah asked, slightly distressed.

"That's the idea," Link said.

Sallah sighed, but gave in and continued walking beside him. After a while of walking, though, they saw something in the distance. Becoming excited, they both rushed toward it. However, as they got close, they realized that it was trees. Soon, the realized it was the trees from the forest.

"I guess your idea kind of worked," Sallah said. "But no one in the forest would know where Hyrule Castle is."

"Then we'll just walk back the way we came," Link declared, turning around.

"How will not get turned around again," Sallah asked.

Link paused, and then looked up. The sun was at its zenith, not helping matters at all. There were no landmarks in sight, so they were pretty much stuck.

"I say we do something while we wait for the sun to lower some," Link suggested.

"Like what?" Sallah asked.

Also as soon as she had said it, a loud scream went into the air, coming from the forest. Link looked back at it and then grinned. "Like that," he said, starting to run toward the scream. Sallah panted as she tried to keep up with his running, her shorter two legs unable to go as fast.

Link paused as he entered the forest, his eyes dilating from the sudden shade of the trees. He looked around for a moment to try and find the Pokemon that screamed, but couldn't see anything. He stepped forward slowly as he searched around for the commotion. The ground felt slightly weak as if it had recently rained, though it hadn't rained in a while. Link once again paused as he heard something strange nearby.

The instant Link realized the sound was under him, the ground seemed to disappear out from under him. He fell around the loose dirt for about ten feet before hitting more solid ground. Link curled tightly up as loose dirt fell around and on him. After a few seconds, the dirt stopped falling and Link uncurled, shaking off the dirt that had fallen on him. He glanced up and saw that he had fallen into a steep hole that was about two of his lengths long.

Sallah's head suddenly appeared over the edge of the hole. "Are you alright, Link?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Link answered.

Suddenly, the air was filled laughter from above, which echoed strangely down into the hole. After a little, there was rustling from above. Sallah looked across the hole as she watched someone appear. Link waited a little, before the still laughing figure came to the edge of the hole. Link could see that it was a light brown and looked like a large acorn, the form of all Seedot.

"What's so funny?" Link asked, frowning.

The Seedot continued to laugh for a while before finally calming down enough to respond. "The look on your face was priceless," he said, before starting to laugh again.

"Were you the one who did this?" Link asked, tired of the Pokemon's laughing.

"Yeah!" the Seedot exclaimed happily. "Hold on a second," it ordered, moving away from the hole.

Link waited impatiently until a vine dropped over the side. He looked at it warily, before he tried to climb it. Though the vine was thick and strong, he didn't have claws, making it a hard climb. After a few tries, the Seedot's laughter still flying through the air, he managed to get back onto the ground level.

Link looked over at the laughing Seedot and asked, "Why did you do that?" Sallah came up next to him.

"Because it was so funny; your expression was great. It was all," and here, the Seedot made some kind of face, though its face wasn't even similar to Link's. After making the face, it went back to laughing.

Link frowned once again at the Seedot. However, the Seedot's laughter seemed to be contagious and Link started to laugh as well. He really started to laugh when he thought of what he must have looked like when he fell. Sallah stared at him worriedly.

"What are you laughing about?" she asked Link.

"Hey, you've got to admit that was funny," Link said.

"He dumped you in a hole!" Sallah exclaimed.

"It was just a prank," Link explained. He turned to the Seedot, who was finally calming down. "I'm called Link and this is Sallah. What's your name?"

"Just call me Seed Kid," he said, bowing a little. "I saw you were outside the forest. Why was that? I thought nobody went outside the forest."

"I'm on a mission to go to Hyrule Castle. Do you know where that is?" Link asked hopefully.

"Are you kidding? I've never been outside the forest," Seed Kit answered. After a little hesitation, he asked, "What's it like out there?"

"Well, I really haven't seen much, just a bunch of tall grass. I got lost and found myself here again," Link admitted.

"Maybe I'll go outside the forest one day," Seed Kit said, a distant look appearing in his eyes. He shook his head to clear it.

"Was it also you who screamed," Link asked. When Seed Kid nodded, he continued, "That was a neat prank. How did you make the hole?"

Seed Kid smiled deviously. "I've got my ways," he simply said. Suddenly, he turned and started heading deeper into the forest. "I've got to get going," he called as he dived through a bush.

Link turned and went back to the edge of the forest. "The sun's moved," Link said.

"So, how was your little time wasting event?" Sallah asked sarcastically.

"Fun," Link said, walking into the plains again. "I hope I meet him again someday."

Sallah paused and shook her head before continuing. "I don't think you know the meaning of fun."

"Now that the sun's moved, we'll start heading north," Link said, walking off through the grass.

"That's south," Sallah responded.

"Then we'll go south," Link corrected himself, still walking.

Sallah sighed, but followed him. They walked through the grass at a leisurely pace, still unsure where they were going.

(0)

"Are you sure there's no food near here," Link asked Sallah again. His stomach rumbled after the question for emphasis.

"Do you see any food around? We're still stuck in this grassland!" Sallah exclaimed, throwing her arms into the air. She lowered them sadly as her stomach also grumbled.

"I need food," Link complained.

"So do I, but there isn't any around," Sallah replied.

Link wearily looked around again at the expanse of grass. There was still nothing else in sight besides grass. Link stopped as he saw something glint off the sun. Sallah had noticed it, too, and they both stopped to stare. Something was coming their way.

"Do you think it has food?" Link asked excitedly.

Sallah didn't answer as they continued to stare at the approaching thing. Soon, it was close enough to see clearly. It was a giant, light brown creature that had a dark brown mane. Instead of paws, its four legs ended with hoofs. Its three slender tails flew around behind it as it pulled something behind it with the two large, gray horns on its head. Link had never seen a Pokemon like it.

"Hello," Sallah called out, starting to head toward it. Link hesitated, unsure about the Pokemon, before following her.

Link was surprised to see that the Pokemon was pulling a large box that was on wheels. A few boards held in the smaller boxes that were stacked in the back. Another Pokemon was on the front ledge of the contraption, sleeping. It was a cream color, with brown stripes wrapping around it from the end of its tail up its body. Near the top, the brown spread out over the top of its body, framing its closed eyes. However, Link was able to recognize this Pokemon as a Furret, having met some in the forest.

"Well, hello children," the working Pokemon said, stopping. Link was surprised at the motherly tone the large Pokemon had.

"Uh? What's happening? Are we there?" the Furret asked, coming awake when the wheeled box stopped.

"I'm Link and this is Sallah," Link greeted.

"Nice to meet you, Link, Sallah; I am called Tao," the Pokemon replied.

"Well, I see we have visitors. I am Falon," the Furret introduced. "Where do you come from? We don't see many Eevee in these parts."

"I'm from the forest," Link answered.

"Link, the castle," Sallah reminded him.

"Oh, yeah! Umm, do either of you know where Hyrule Castle is?" Link asked.

"Of course; Hyrule Castle is in that direction, directly north," Falon answered, pointing the way Link and Sallah had come from.

"Man, we've been going the wrong way this whole time," Link complained.

"You were the one who said to go south," Sallah reminded.

Falon laughed at their bickering. "It just so happens that we're going to Hyrule Castle. Would you like a ride?" he asked.

"I can take the extra weight," Tao added, seeming slightly irritated at Falon not asking her.

"Really? Awesome," Link said, his tail starting to wag. He froze in embarrassment as his stomach noisily growled.

Falon laughed again. "Come on in the back. I'll spare you some Moo-Moo Milk," he said, expertly slinking over the boxed into the spare room at the back.

Link had never heard of Moo-Moo Milk, but as long as it was edible, he would take it. He leapt at the wheeled box, struggling a little when he misjudged the leap. Once in, he turned to help Sallah, but found that she easily hopped in. Link turned back to Falon and saw that he was holding out two small bottles with some white liquid inside.

"Here, Moo-Moo Milk is delicious and rejuvenates the body," he said, handing them each a bottle. "It's also expensive, but I'll let you two have a sample," he said, winking. He turned and weaved over onto the front of the weird contraption again.

The floor under them bounced a little as Tao started moving again. Link looked at the Moo-Moo Milk and cautiously licked some from the open bottle. He eyes glittered as he tasted it. The strange drink was wonderful and seemed to fill him with strength from just one sip. He greedily drank the rest, almost getting his snout stuck in the bottle's opening.

Once done, he looked over at Sallah to see that she had already finished. Since the sun was already going down, the sunset painting beautiful colors on the sky, Link curled up to see. It wasn't long before Link was used to the bouncing of the transport and he fell asleep, wondering what kind of place Hyrule Castle was.


	5. A Day in the Market, Part 1

**Author's Note: **I'm uploading this chapter quicker for a few reasons. One, it is a slight celebatory chapter since "The Last Hope" came out yesterday! Two, I got more reviews. And three, I liked writing this chapter. However, I do not know when I'll be able to upload again, since I'm in a situation at home that will be taking a lot of time in the near future. However, review still! Reviews make me want to write. Anyway, this chapter was so long, I had to end up putting it into two parts. It's finally time to meet a certain character! -EeveeInHeat

**The Legend of Vulpix: Leaf of Time**

- **Chapter 5: A Day in the Market, Part 1** -

"So, Tao, what's the castle like?" Link asked as they started going up another hill.

"It's a large place bustling with all sorts of Pokemon," the Tauros replied. Link had asked her what species she was when he had woken up. She had laughed and told him, even allowing him to sit on her shoulders to make the ride more comfortable. Sallah was still sleeping on the hard boards of the cart, also explained to him by Tao.

"So does Falon sleep all the time?" Link asked, once again noticing Falon's snoring.

Tao's body shook with laughter at the question. "Pretty much; he only stays awake long enough to sell his supplies and then we head on back to the ranch," Tao explained.

"What's a ranch?" Link asked.

"You certainly are inquisitive," Tao commented. "At the ranch, we all help each other out with the services we can supply. I can pull the cart easily, while the Miltank make the Moo-Moo Milk. Falon keeps everything in order and sell the Moo-Moo Milk. It's kind of like an extended family working together to survive."

Link's ears drooped as she mentioned the word family.

"What's wrong young one?" Tao asked, concerned.

"Well, I've never had a family," Link said sadly. "And the one Pokemon who treated me like a parent died."

"I'm sorry, Link," Tao apologized.

"Hey, what's happening?" Sallah asked, rubbing an eye as she hopped onto Tao's back.

"We were just talking," Link said. To change the subject, he asked, "So who are we supposed to look for, again?"

"Grace said to look for the destined princess. I wonder how many there are," Sallah said.

"Actually, there is only one princess," Tao informed them. "She's Princess Vulpix and the heir to the throne. So you're looking for her?"

"I guess. I've got to give her something," Link said.

"Well, it might be hard to get an audience with her," Tao warned.

"Do you know her?" Link asked.

Tao snorted. "I'm not that popular," she said. "Look, we're almost there."

Link looked up as they crested the hill. He took a deep breath as he saw the marvel in front of him. A giant, white wall stood on the other side of a river, going out of sight as it encompassed what Link guessed to be Hyrule Castle. A hole was in the side next to a large, wooden plank that bridged the river. Above the hole, a large, yellow, triangular design was engraved on the wall. In the middle, an upside down triangular piece was missing, so that it appeared to be three triangles stacked on each other. Through it, Link could see large things that looked like huge boxes. Various Pokemon were moving around them, some entering through parts of the wall that swung open. Above the wall, Link could see several tall, pointed things shooting up into the air. Though it was like his dream, Link could tell that it wasn't the same, somehow.

Link's attention snapped back to where he was as Tao's sides shook under him. "So, what do you think of Hyrule Market?" Tao asked after she finished laughing.

"This is Hyrule Market? What about Hyrule Castle?" Link asked, still distracted by the sights and faints sounds coming from the place.

"Hyrule Castle is the large building past Hyrule Market," Tao explained.

"How did they make all this?" Link asked.

"Pokemon who can stand on two legs or use Psychic usually become skilled in building. Opposable thumbs usually help, too," Tao replied.

Link thought a moment about what he would look like standing on two legs with opposable thumbs. He quickly shook the disturbing image away. That would just look too weird.

By now, they were reaching the large, wooden plank in front of the wall. Chains were attached to it, connecting it to the wall. A loud thumping sound came as Tao started around the bridge. The cart shook slightly as it went across the wood, but Falon still did not wake.

Link's senses were assaulted by all the sights, sounds, and smells of the place as they entered. The yellow striped form of a Watchog stood on either side of the entrance, simply nodding as Tao passed them. Link couldn't concentrate on anything as one thing after another got his attention. Eventually, he noticed that Tao stopped.

"Well, this is where we stop," Tao said. Link and Sallah hopped down. "Are you two going to be alright?" she asked.

"Yeah," Link said.

"Uh? Oh, we're here," Falon murmured, waking up. "I guess we'll see you two later."

"Bye," Link said, heading away.

"So are we going to the castle now?" Sallah asked.

"Yeah; where else would we go?" Link asked.

"What about all these buildings? What do they all contain?" Sallah explained, looking around.

"But we've got to get to the castle before we do anything else," Link reminded.

They stopped as they suddenly heard shouting up ahead. Link and Sallah glanced at each other before hurrying up the street. They stopped and stared in wonder as they saw colorful stands everywhere, with all kinds of Pokemon walking around. It took a little before Link could properly hear anything correctly.

"Come and see the most valuable gems in Hyrule."

"Come get your ribbons."

"Cheap decorations for sale; come buy some."

"Food for a bargain; check it out! You don't want to miss this food."

Link's stomach rumbled as he heard someone shout about food. Sallah's promptly growled, also. "I haven't had anything to eat since we left the forest, and only had that Moo-Moo Milk yesterday. I guess we could take a break to eat," Link admitted.

Sallah quickly agreed and they tried to find the Pokemon who had been talking about food. They finally found the stand and looked in amazement at the wonders on the table. Magnificent looking items covered the table, making Link drool from just seeing it. Then the great aroma of the food hit him and he felt weak with hunger. He almost collapsed if Sallah hadn't helped support him.

"Come get your food," a large, gray Pokemon was yelling, his muscles being stretched as he waved his arms.

"Come on," Link told Sallah.

He ran up and grabbed the first thing that caught his eye. It was a giant, yellow and brown fruit with green leaves on top. Sallah grabbed a large, gleaming red apple. Link didn't hesitate as he bit into the strange fruit. The skin wasn't good, but the juice that came out was both sweet and sour, a delicious combination. The juice squirted out, covering his chin in the sticky stuff. However, Link didn't care as he bit into it again, enjoying the savory taste of the new food.

"Are you going to pay for that?" an agitated voice asked from above him.

Link looked up to see the Pokemon that had been behind the counter in front of him. Another Pokemon like him, but with four arms, was next to him. Completely the circle around him was another of the four armed creatures. Each was staring hard at him and Sallah, each of their arms on their hips. Link immediately cowered down from them.

"Pay?" Link asked, confused.

"Yeah, with money," the two armed Pokemon asked.

"What's money?" Link meekly asked.

This sent the Pokemon into a frenzy. "You're a thief!" he yelled.

"How dare you steal from us!" another yelled.

"We'll make you pay," the third said. Before Link could react, it had grabbed one of his back legs and lifted him in the air, Sallah hanging from one of his other arms. The world spun around Link as the Pokemon started to shake him and Sallah. Link cried out as he felt the Eternal Leaf Stone fall out of the pouch and head toward the ground. Luckily, the Pokemon caught it in a third hand and brought it up to its face. "Well, here's a pretty stone. I think we'll take this as payment," he said, staring greedily at it.

"No!" Link exclaimed. "Give it back! I need that! Please, give it back!" Link begged, trying to grab the stone from the Pokemon's hand. He couldn't lose that stone.

"If you want it back, you'll have to pay for it," the Pokemon replied, starting to pocket the stone.

"Wait!" a new voice said, authority ringing in its voice. Link glanced around, but couldn't see who had spoken. "I'll pay it. Give him back his stone," the voice said.

Link saw four small red gems fly through the air to be caught by the final arm of the Pokemon. "Two hundred rupees!" the Pokemon exclaimed, immediately loosening his hold on the other items.

Link grunted as he landed on the ground. Sallah and the Eternal Leaf Stone fell on the ground next to him. Link quickly helped Sallah up and stuffed the stone back into his pouch. Before he could do anything else, he felt something touch his back.

"Quick, come with me," the voice said. He felt a gentle tugging with what was touching him, and he followed the signal. Link weaved through the crowded area, making sure that Sallah was following, too. After a little, they came to a small clearing in the crowd around a large fountain. Now out of the crowd, Link was finally able to see the Pokemon that had helped him.

Standing before him was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. It had a lithe shape, a quadruped like him. It had a lovely, long, dark red fur that covered it, except for its white chest. Its paws had brown fur around the base, setting a complementary tone to them. It had six brighter red tails that swirled out behind it. A striking patch of the same color of fur swirled across the top of its head and came down in a single bang. Unlike his long ears, its ears were more triangular and shorter. The Pokemon had eyes that were the loveliest tone of brown.

Sallah cleared her throat loudly, and Link realized that he was staring. He quickly looked away, a small blush forming. "Umm, hello," Link murmured.

"Hello," the Pokemon said sweetly. "Are you really an Eevee?"

Link nodded, surprised at the question.

"We don't see many Eevee around here," it explained.

"I'm not from here. I come from the forest," Link explained. "I'm here on a mission."

"Really?" it asked.

"Yeah; thanks a lot for helping me. This stone is really important to me," Link said. "It's called the Eternal Leaf Stone. Grace said I have to give it to the princess." For some reason, a glint of amusement entered the Pokemon's eyes, but Link ignored it.

"Oh, boy," Sallah muttered under her breath.

"That's a pretty important job, then," the Pokemon said.

"Yep, that why we need to get going to the castle," Link replied.

"You can't get into the castle by yourself," the Pokemon suddenly said. "It's surrounded by guards to protect it."

"Oh," Link muttered. "What are we going to do, Sallah?" he asked.

Before either of them could respond, the Pokemon spoke up again. "I've got a deal. If you play with me for today, I'll take you to Princess Vulpix," it said.

"Really?" Link asked.

"Princess Vulpix and me are close friends," it explained. However, Sallah didn't seem to be convinced. "I have proof," it continued, "Here." It reached a paw up and pulled out something that had been hidden within the rolls on its head. It put it down in front of Link for him to see.

It was a Leafwhistle, kind of like Rose's. However, this Leaf was blue instead of green and slightly larger. Also, there was a familiar, golden triangle near the tip of the leaf. The triangle was just like the one that was on his forehead.

"It's a Leaf, but what about that mark-" Link started. However, when he looked up, the Pokemon was gone.

Link turned to ask Sallah, when he saw someone coming directly to them. Link carefully placed his paw over the Leaf to hide it, knowing the Pokemon wouldn't have wanted to lose it. The new Pokemon stopped in front of him, and he couldn't help but be intimidated. The quadruped had long, black fur covering its body, except for the shorter blue fur on its face, back legs, and the middle of its body. Its long, black tail ended with a four tipped gold star. The creature was about four times Link's size.

"Hello there, young man," it greeted. Link simply gulped in response. "You wouldn't happen to have seen a Vulpix around here, have you? She has a small, silver crown on her head."

"I don't think so," Link said.

"Thank you," it replied before walking off.

Link breathed a sigh of relief when it had left and heard Sallah do the same. "Thanks," a voice said behind him, making him jump from fright.

Link turned around to see that the Pokemon from before was back. "Oh, it's you," Link said, calming down. "Here's your Leaf back," he said, lifting his paw off it.

The Pokemon picked it up and slid back into the rolls on its head. "Do we have a deal?" it asked.

"Yes," Link said quickly, though Sallah was still unsure. "I'm Link and this is Sallah."

"I'm Vixen," she said, smiling at them.

"Umm, Vixen?" Link started.

"Yes?" Vixen replied.

"What species of Pokemon are you?" Link asked.

"I'm a Vulpix," Vixen said proudly. "Hey, that shop likes interesting; let's go see it," she suddenly said, darting away.

Link quickly went after her, Sallah trying hard to keep up. When Vixen paused near a stand, Sallah whispered to Link, "Link, are you sure about this? This girl is a little strange."

"But she said she would help us meet the princess," Link reasoned with her. After a little hesitation, Link looked away while blushing and added, "And, I think she's rather cute."

Sallah was just about to respond when Vixen appeared again. "Here, I got us some things to snack on," she said, putting down the bag she had been carrying in her mouth. Delicious aromas drifted out of the now open bag. "Let's go find a place to eat," she said, picking the bag up again.

Link followed her closely through the crowded market. After a little, they came to a more open area with less Pokemon. There were several tables with various chairs of different sizes around them. Vixen went to one that was empty with chairs high enough for them. Link jumped up into a chair and looked in amazement as Vixen pulled mouthwatering food out of the bag. There were three small, yellow tinted items with three silts on top of each, letting out the smell of hot apples.

Vixen handed one to him and another to Sallah. Link thanked her and took a large bite. It wasn't a good idea as the food burned his mouth. Link quickly put it down and panted as he tried to cool his tongue.

Vixen giggled at his reaction. "Usually, you wait until the pastry cools before you eat it." Sallah simply laughed and blew on hers before taking a bite.

Link blew on the pastry until he was sure it was cool enough and took a bite. Link's eyes lit up with the delicious taste of apple that entered his mouth. He quickly finished off the rest of the pastry, only pausing to blow before each bite. Vixen giggled as she ate hers more slowly. When Link finished, he looked longingly at the place the pastry had been, wishing there was more.

"Come on," Vixen said once she had finished. "Let's go look at some more stuff."

Link quickly jumped down after her, half hoping they could get some more of those great pastries.


	6. A Day in the Market, Part 2

**Author's Note:** Time for the second part. -EeveeInHeat

**The Legend of Vulpix: Leaf of Time**

- **Chapter 6: A Day in the Market, Part 2** -

Link along behind Vixen, Sallah sticking close to his side. Soon, they were back at the stall area. Vixen led them through. They finally stopped to look at a large stand full of scarves, bows, and other accessories.

Vixen looked through the items and even tried some on, making Link and Sallah laughed at the faces she made with them. She even got Link to try on a black cape that they found, though it draped down on the ground and tripped him if he tried to walk. Vixen and Sallah laughed as he got up and slipped the cape off.

Vixen then continued to look through the stand. Near the end, Vixen found a pretty blue bow on a strap that fit over her ear. It complimented her eyes well, but had to refuse it when they found that it was an astonishing five hundred rupees, a deal that Vixen said was horrible.

Afterward, they walked around until they found an interesting building. "Targeting Range; what do you think that is?" Vixen asked.

"I don't know," Link admitted.

"Let's go see," Vixen said, heading inside.

Once inside the building, Link saw that there was a counter nearby. The large, green, leafed form of a Sceptile was behind the counter, sharpening the leaves on one arm. "Oh, costumers," it said, sitting up. "It's free for today, but you can still win the prizes. Go ahead and try," it said, before going back to sharpening its leaves.

Link and Vixen exchanged confused looks before looking around. Along one wall, several circles of different sizes were moving around. Each circle had smaller circles within them. A short fence stopped them from getting close. "I guess we try to hit those targets," Vixen said.

"You go first," Link said, stepping back beside Sallah, who had been mostly quiet the whole time.

"Thanks," Vixen said. She crouched down and aimed at one of the targets. A small stream of red and yellow fire came out of her mouth and went toward the wall. The fire hit one of the larger targets, scorching the side of it. Link and Sallah cheered for her.

"Very good; your prize is this," the Sceptile said, not even looking up as he placed a bag on the table.

Vixen picked it up and brought it over to the others. When she opened it, they found that it contained a pile of pebbles. "Oh," Vixen said, slightly disappointed.

"I know what we can do with this," Link said.

"What?" Vixen asked.

"Watch," Link said, picking up one of the pebbles. He placed it beside him and took aim at the smallest target. He flicked his tail and the pebble went flying toward it. With a ping, the pebble hit the center of the target, making the Sceptile look up in surprise. Vixen and Sallah cheered, while the Sceptile, still surprised, reached under the counter to get something.

"Well, well, you have pretty good aim. Here's your prize," the Sceptile said, putting a small gem on the counter.

"Wow," Vixen murmured as he picked up the item. "It's a gold rupee."

"Isn't a rupee money? How much is a gold one?" Link asked.

"A gold rupee is worth five hundred rupees," Vixen explained.

"Wow," Link said, amazed at the amount. Even as he looked at it, he knew what he would be getting.

"So where are we going next?" Sallah asked.

Vixen shrugged as they exited the building they had been in. "Let's see what else is around here," she said, starting to walk off.

Link and Sallah quickly followed her. They stopped as they saw a large crowd around something. "I wonder what they're looking at," Link said.

"Let's go see," Vixen said, slipping her way into the tight crowd. Link struggled after her, Sallah easily slipping through behind him from her smaller size.

Link finally reached the edge of the crowd and stared in amazement at the scene. The crowd had made a circle around the figure in the middle. The two legged figure was green with white covering its body like a cloth, flaring out around its waist in long strands. It had two red bumps on its head. The Pokemon was twirling around in circles, waving its arms around in its complex dance.

"What Pokemon is that?" Link asked as they watched.

"That's a Kirlia. She's from the caravan from the desert," Vixen said, her voice seeming to grow hard. However, Link ignored the tone as he watched the Pokemon go around the circle.

Another Pokemon suddenly stopped into the circle. This Pokemon was also two legged and was completely green. There were spikes covering its form and it stood tall and erect, taller than many of the Pokemon around them. "Now that the majestic Lilly has shown you a few dances, would anyone like to do a dance with her?" it asked.

"What Pokemon is that?" Link asked.

"It's a Cacturne, also from the desert caravan," Vixen said, her voice still hard.

"I choose you," a voice said. Link looked up to see that the Kirlia was pointing directly at him. Link tried to shake his head in refusal, but someone from behind pushed him forward into the circle. "Do you know how to dance?" the Kirlia asked.

Link half nodded, half shook his head, getting laughter from the crowd around him. The Kirlia smiled and did a little twirl.

"Just follow me," she said, before she started to dance again.

Link stood there for a second, before he started to follow her around, running in circles as she did and trying to copy her bipedal movements with his four legs. Soon, he stopped concentrated on the dancing and simply enjoyed the fun of the air rushing around him and the sound of music that was coming from somewhere.

After a while, the crowd started asking for a chance and Link stopped. He nodded at the smiling Kirlia and slipped back into the crowd. He looked around, lost, as he made his way out of the crowd. Luckily, Vixen intercepted him.

"Hey, Vixen, that was fun," Link said, slightly breathless. "Do you want to go back and try to dance?" he asked.

"No," Vixen said curtly, turning away. Link had to hurry to catch up as she started to walk away quickly, her demeanor telling him she was mad for some reason, though he didn't know why.

"What's wrong with Vixen?" Link whispered to Sallah.

"I don't know," Sallah admitted, also looking confused.

Luckily, after a while of walking around aimlessly, Vixen cooled down a little. "I'm hungry. Let's get some dinner," she finally said, stopping and looking back.

Link's stomach took that moment to growl, making Vixen and Sallah laugh. "Yeah, I am hungry," Link admitted, chuckling slightly to rid himself of the embarrassment.

"What would you two like?" Vixen asked as they started to walk.

Link and Sallah exchanged a glance before saying in unison, "Anything."

Vixen smiled at their answer and continued walking. "Then I'll treat you two to something special," she said.

Link looked around and finally saw what he was looking for nearby. "I've got to go . . . do something," Link said, stopping Vixen and Sallah. "I'll meet you two back at the table we were at earlier," Link quickly said before they could ask questions.

Sallah looked confused while Vixen simply nodded and continued away. Link slipped through the crowd and reached the stall. It took a little before he finally found it again. However, it was still there and Link quickly picked it up. He went over to the Pokemon that had worked the stall and waited until it finished talking to another Pokemon. The yellow coated Pokemon had several brown spikes that came out on its back. It had two arms that ended in two white claws. Link heard the other Pokemon call him a Sandslash.

"Umm, sir?" Link asked to get the Sandslash's attention.

It looked down and noticed him. "Oh, it's you from before. That bow is still five hundred rupees. I'm not about to lower the price," he said, putting his clawed hands on his hips.

"I know," Link said. He pulled the gold rupee from his bag and held it out to the Sandslash. "Here's a gold rupee," Link said.

"Well, now, that is a gold rupee. I guess that bow is yours then," the Sandslash said, waving him away.

Link nodded and slipped the bow into the pouch. He walked away and tried to find his way back to the tables they had been at. After a few instructions, Link finally found his way back. Sallah and Vixen were already standing next to the table, looking around for him. Sallah waved as she saw him and Link headed over to them.

"There you are, Link," Sallah greeted as he came over.

"What did you need to do?" Vixen asked.

"Well . . . I kind of . . . got you something, Vixen," Link said, reaching into his bag. "It's a thank you for helping us earlier."

"Really?" Vixen excited replied. Link pulled out the blue bow and placed it in front of her. Vixen gasped and picked it up carefully. "It's that bow," she quietly said. She looked up at Link in a mixture of surprise and happiness. "You shouldn't have got this. That was your money," she said, looking at the bow again.

"I didn't need the rupee. Besides, you helped me get back my stone," Link said. "Put it on."

Vixen carefully put it on her ear and tried to look at it from the corner of her eye. She smiled widely, making her look even more beautiful. Suddenly, she reached forward and embraced Link, catching him by surprise. However, before he could return the hug, she let him go, still smiling. "Thank you, Link," she said.

Link's stomach growled again, interrupting the moment. Vixen and Sallah laughed at him again, each getting into a seat. Link hopped up onto a chair and saw that there was a large bag on the table.

Vixen pulled out several items from the bag. There were a few Oran berries, a couple of apples, a few fruit that Link didn't recognize, and then three more of the pastries from before. She passed out the food. Link found that his pastry was still hot, so he left it for last and started on the fruit. The new fruit was an orange sphere. The skin was disgusting, but the inside was delicious and Link made quick work of it. He tried to slow himself and enjoy the food as he went, but he hadn't had real food for two days. When he came to his pastry, he was glad to note that it had cooled, though it was still warm. When he finished, he noticed that he was the first one to finish once again.

Once they were all done, Vixen led them away again. After a while, they came to another interesting building. "Spinarak Shooting," Vixen read as they looked at the sign.

"That sounds strange. Let's see what it is," Link said, stepping inside.

This room seemed similar to the other building Link had been in. A counter was against one wall, a Watchog standing behind it. A short fence was in front of them, going from wall to wall. Near the opposite wall from them was a rope going across the room, disappearing into the walls on either side. Small, wooden Spinarak were hanged all along the rope, proving the rope was moving as they went across the room.

"Welcome to Spinarak Shooting. The point of the game is to shoot as many Spinarak as possible with a pebble to win a prize. One game gets you ten pebbles to shoot with for ten rupees," the Watchog explained.

"Here," Vixen said, handing him a few rupees. The Watchog put a bag on the counter as he took the money. Inside were ten pebbles, just like the ones they had left at the other place. "Here you go, Link," she said, pushing the bag toward him.

Link shook his head. "Why don't you try?" he said, motioning toward the fake Spinarak.

"I don't think I can do it," Vixen admitted, pushing the bag toward him again.

"I'll show you," Link said.

Standing beside her, he showed her just how to flick her tail. After practicing a little, she flicked a pebble toward one of the wooden Spinarak. The pebble soared much faster than when Link did it, and ended up whacking the target hard. The wooden Spinarak bounced slightly as the pebble hit. Link and Sallah cheered and Vixen continued to shoot the pebbles toward the moving targets. When she used the last pebble, she ended up hitting a Spinarak with each one.

"Well, a perfect score," the Watchog said. He pulled something out from under the counter. Like at the Shooting Practice, the item was a rupee, though this one was red.

"Here," Vixen said trying to hand it to Link.

"No keep it," Link said, smiling at her offer. "You won it yourself."

Link stepped outside and glanced up in surprise when he saw that it was dark. The sun was already gone, the moon taking its place. The stars glittered overhead, giving little light. The area nearby was mostly empty, only a Pokemon here and there walking around. Link was surprised at how small the place seemed now.

"Wow, it's night already," Link sadly said, wishing the day would have continued.

"Yes, the day is over," Vixen said sadly walking past him. She stopped as she reached a fountain nearby. "Just for once, I wanted to I wanted to pay for things myself, to have fun and play," she murmured, looking at her reflection. "Just like other girls."

Link was confused by what she was saying, but thought he knew a way to cheer her up. "Vixen," he started. "Let's play again sometime. Today was a great day."

Vixen looked surprise at his statement, but looked down sadly. "Link . . . I . . . I'm," she started.

They were interrupted by the sound of several feet rapidly touching the ground. Link looked back to see three small purple Pokemon approaching quickly. They had diamond like eyes with a few smaller gems on their chests. The Pokemon had no apparent mouth, while their hands had spike like fingers.

The Pokemon were running straight at them. They stopped in a semicircle around Link, Vixen, and Sallah. One stepped forward and pointed a clawed finger at Vixen. "We know who you really are, girl. Give us the Leafwhistle of Time!" it demanded, though it spoke without a mouth somehow.

Vixen gasped and started to run.

"Do you really think you can run?" the Pokemon asked. It jumped at Vixen, a hand raised to strike her.

Link reacted, not really thinking, and latched his teeth into the Pokemon's arm, stopping the attack. The Pokemon flinched and jerked its now bleeding arm out of Link's grasp. Vixen was on the ground, but unhurt. Link got between her and their attackers.

"Who are you?" the Pokemon asked as he held its wounded arm close.

Link wasn't about to answer, but then one of the others stepped forward. "Someone's coming," it warned. The three seemed to frown with their mouthless faces. They turned and ran down a small section between two buildings. Link chased after them a little to make sure they left, Sallah following beside him.

The path turned a few times, and Link kept them in his sight for a while. However, they were slowly getting away with their higher speed. Link turned another corner and came to a standstill as he saw that it just ended with no more paths. He had seen them go down the path, but they weren't there. Looking around one final time, Link turned and headed back to the main street.

(0)

Meanwhile, Vixen stared after Link as he rounded the corner into the alley. She slowly got up and hoped that Link would be okay. "Princess," a familiar voice said behind her.

However, she still jumped at the sudden noise. She calmed down when she saw her nurse come up to her. "Luna," she sighed.

"I'm glad you're safe. Let's go back," she said, placing her tail on Vixen's back.

Vixen pressed against Luna's side and looked once again to the alley Link had gone down. Closing her eyes, she whispered, "Okay."

(0)

Link was panting by the time he reached the main street again. He looked around, but Vixen was nowhere to be seen. "Vixen!" he called out.

"I think she went home," Sallah said, finally getting her breath back.

"But why would she just leave?" Link asked.

"She was scared by those strange Pokemon," Sallah said. "I guess we'll have to go to the castle ourselves."

Link nodded absentmindedly as he looked around again. He gasped as he saw something near the fountain. He went over to it and saw that it was Vixen's Leaf. He picked it up to make sure. He knew she wouldn't have just left it. Maybe this meant that they would meet again. Link silently hoped so.


	7. Infiltration Time

**Author's Note:** Review! So far, only Last Warrior has been the one reviewing, but not the only one reading. I know there are several readers who are not reviewing. Reviews make me want to write and create stories, so review! -EeveeInHeat

**The Legend of Vulpix: Leaf of Time**

- **Chapter 7: Infiltration Time** -

"Uh, Link," Sallah said, trying to get his attention.

"What?" Link responded.

"You spaced out there for a second," Sallah said. "What are we going to do, now?"

Before Link could answer, his mouth involuntarily opened to let out a yawn. The yawn proved to be contagious when Sallah followed suit. "It's late, so let's get some sleep," Link said.

"Umm, where?" Sallah replied, looking around.

Link thought about it, and finally came to a solution. "We could go out into the grassland area and camp out there," he said, starting down the now empty street.

"I guess it's better than nothing," Sallah said, following.

The market was much easier to navigate without all the Pokemon crowding around. Soon, they were back at the large gate where they had entered, only to find that the wooden bridge had been lifted across the entrance, blocking the way.

"What now?" Sallah asked.

"Umm, wandering time?" Link suggested. Turning, he chose a direction and started walking. Sallah sighed, but followed after him.

Eventually, the stalls and buildings stopped and they came to another grass area, though this grass was shorter. Sallah and Link laid down next to the towering wall. Sallah quickly fell asleep, but Link took a little longer. He just couldn't get his thoughts off of Vixen. Maybe she would be visiting the princess when they went. Eventually, exhaustion took over and he fell asleep.

(0)

"Father, don't go," the Vulpix begged.

The large Arcanine shook his head. "I've got a meeting, honey; I need to go," he said.

"No, you need to stop meeting that Pokemon," she said.

"I've already said that you're reasons don't make any sense. You can't think badly of a Pokemon just because you don't like them," he said, turning to go. "Don't worry about me. We've got more than capable guards and this is a time of peace."

As the Arcanine walked away, the Vulpix lowered her head. Quietly, she uttered one last, "Father . . ." She turned, knowing she hadn't got through to him. If only he would listen to her. She sighed and walked away to go through the castle gardens. They always calmed her down.

(0)

Link woke to the bright sunlight as the sun dawned. "Man, I thought the wall would block the sunlight," he complained as he sat up. He glanced over and saw that Sallah was already completely awake. "Morning, Sallah," he greeted, yawning again.

"Good morning, Link," she responded. "So, how are we going to find Princess Vulpix?" she asked.

"We go to the castle, of course," Link said, starting to head toward it.

"I meant how, Link," Sallah elaborated.

"I guess we'll find out as we get there," Link replied.

As they got closer to the castle, they came to a path coming from the market. The path seemed to go straight to the castle, so they headed down it. They were walking in blissful silence for a while, before they saw two figures on either side of the road. When they got closer, Link saw that the two Pokemon were Watchog.

"Halt! Who goes there," the one on the right said.

Link and Sallah stopped and exchanged glances. "Umm, Link and Sallah," Link answered.

"What business do you have here?" the same Watchog asked.

"Uh, I'm here to see Princess Vulpix," Link replied.

"We have no one scheduled for that, so we can't allow you to pass," it said. Both Watchog suddenly put their arms on their sides and glared at him.

"But-" Link started.

He was interrupted by the Watchog that had spoken. It suddenly swung its leg into the ground in front of Link. The ground cracked and a few rocks flew out. "We cannot allow you to pass," it repeated, going back into its stance.

Link and Sallah stared at the spot he had hit. "O-okay," Link said shakily, slowly backing up. Sallah matched his pace. Link sighed with relief when the two Watchog were out of sight. "What do we do now?" he asked Sallah.

"I thought you said we would find out as we got there," she responded.

Link paused for a moment. "If they won't let us pass, then we'll go a different way," he said, stepping off the path. "It's infiltration time."

After they had gone a little ways, Link turned back toward the castle. They walked quietly, as there were few trees to hide them. Soon, they saw the two Watchog on the road again. They walked by, making sure not to alert the two guards.

Now they were close enough to really look at the castle. The large place was made out of the made material of the wall. There were several towers shooting up into the air, with blue parts on top. There were pathways and levels galore on the castle, making Link get dizzy just from looking at it. In front of the castle, another small stream went around it. A large stone bridge connected either side of it, but there were four Watchog on it to stop intruders. A large archway made the entrance into the castle, another pyramid like symbol above it as well.

"How do we get in, now?" Sallah whispered, as they studied the bridge.

"We could swim across . . ." Link started.

"Yeah?" she said, motioning him to continue.

"But . . . I don't know how to swim," Link whispered.

"I guess that knocks out that idea," Sallah replied.

"It's too wide to jump across," Link muttered. "Maybe we could distract the guards and run across the bridge."

"How?" Sallah asked, shooting that idea down.

There was silence as they wondered what to do. Finally, Link suggested, "Let's go around and see if there's another way across."

They went back a little and started around the castle, making sure to stay out of sight from the guards. After a while, they finally found something. "There's an apple tree," Sallah said, pointing at a tree next to the water.

Almost as soon as Sallah was finished talking, Link's stomach growled. "Well, I guess that can do for lunch," he said.

"I'm hungry, too," Sallah agreed.

After looking around, they saw no guards and hurried over to the tree. Sallah kept watch while Link struggled to climb the tree. Though he got a little grip on the bark, he had no claws to help. After a while of struggling, Link found himself stuck right below the first branch. Sallah hopped up onto the branch in one bound and leaned down to grab him. With Sallah helping, Link managed to wiggle himself up onto the branch.

"You need to teach me how you jump so well," Link muttered, trying to get his breath back.

Sallah shrugged. "I just can," she explained.

They grabbed a few apples and began to eat, the leaves effectively hiding them. Once Link finished, he leaned back against a branch and sighed, content. "Those were some good apples," he said.

"So how are we going to go in the castle now?" Sallah asked as she finished her last apple.

Link looked around lazily as he thought about it. Then, an idea came to him. "Look, that branch goes out over the water," Link said, pointing at one of the branches. "We could jump from there and make it over."

"Won't falling from this high up hurt?" Sallah questioned.

"Maybe, but it'll get us across," Link said, stepping onto the branch. "I'll go first."

He walked down the branch as it swayed from his weight. The branch bowed lower and lower as he edged out. He glanced down to see how far he had got and saw that he was only half way across the stream. Still unsure if he could make it, he edged out some more.

"Be careful," Sallah warned.

"I am," Link replied right before the branch let out a loud crack. His heart in his throat, Link leapt from where he was. Soaring through the air, Link barely missed the water and tumbled awkwardly onto the bank. Groaning, Link muttered, "I guess it would hurt."

He sat up and glanced back. Sallah was crouched on the opposite bank. In a wide arc, Sallah leapt right across the stream, landing perfectly on one foot.

"That's not right!" Link complained, while Sallah just laughed.

"Let's go," Sallah whispered, quieting him down.

Remembering where they were, Link quickly headed to the castle. A low bush grew alongside it, a small gap between it and the wall. Link squeezed through the small bushed and started along the small path.

"Wait," Sallah said.

"What?" Link asked, unable to turn around in the small space.

"The guards are still guarding the entrance," Sallah reminded him.

"We'll have to find some way to distract them," Link said simply, heading forward again. Sallah sighed, but followed him.

At the entrance, the same four Watchog were standing on the bridge. While two stood to attention and watched the road, the other two were looking around. All Link needed was for them to look away and he could slip around the corner and enter the castle. Link glanced around and noticed a small pebble beside him. Link took aim and flicked the pebble past the Watchog and hit the road farther down. All four Watchog jerked to straight positions and watched the road, waiting for something to come their way.

Link took the opportunity and slipped out and around the entrance. There was a large, open space right in front of him, but Link took the first route he saw to get away. He headed up a set of stairs and came to the second level. He glanced back and made sure Sallah had made it as well.

"Okay, we're in," Link said, getting his breath back.

"Now where's the princess?" Sallah asked.

Link stopped, just realizing that he didn't know. "Umm, wandering time?" Link suggested. Sallah simply shrugged in agreement.

Link started down the path he was on slowly, not knowing if someone else was around. The path came to a small, stone clearing with a small fountain in the middle. No other Pokemon was there, so Link stepped out into the clearing. Looking around, he saw two more sets of stairs. He chose the ones on his right going up.

Link found himself wandering down an arched hallway. After a little, the hallway ended in a large area with grass underpaw. There were several rectangle boxes around, each filled with dirt and flowers of all kinds of colors. Hedges populated the area as well. Along one side of the area, a small stream ran in a stone trench.

"How is a garden in a place like this?" Link asked, staring around at all the stuff.

"I don't know," Sallah said, also staring.

Link's ears twitched as he heard feet. Thinking quickly, he pushed Sallah and himself behind one of the hedges. Sallah struggled a little before she heard the Pokemon approaching as well. After a few seconds, two Watchog walked out of the garden and into the hall, luckily not looking to their left to see Link and Sallah.

Link sighed when they were finally gone. "There are guards here as well," he muttered.

Getting up, they carefully checked the area. Unfortunately, there were various guards all over the garden area. Utilizing the hedges around the area, Link and Sallah carefully maneuvered their way around. After dodging and dunking around a while in the huge garden, they found another hall. Sighing with relief, Link slipped into it.

This hall went on a while before splitting. Choosing the left path, Link led them down the new hall. After a few more splits, Link was completely lost. "Where is the princess?" he complained, as they turned another corner.

Link and Sallah stopped dead as they saw the large room they had entered. Small pads were all over the room. Various Watchog were all over the room, most sitting on a pad. A few Watchog were even sleeping. Every Watchog that was awake turned to them.

"Uh, hello," Link said uneasily.

"Are you lost?" a Watchog asked, coming up to them.

"Err, yeah," Link replied, swallowing nervously.

The Watchog laughed. "Don't worry; these halls can get confusing sometimes. Where are you heading?" it asked.

Link couldn't believe his ears. This Watchog was actually helping them instead of throwing them out. "Umm, we were-" he started.

"Who is this?" a familiar voice asked behind him. Link and Sallah froze.

"Oh, these are a few lost Pokemon. I was just telling them where to go," the Watchog said.

The other speaker stepped around Link and Sallah. Just as Link had guessed, it was the Watchog from the path. "Wait a second; didn't I stop you on the path?" it said, leaning down to look them in the eye. "You are!" it said, standing back up and taking the same position as it had on the road. "INTRUDERS!" it yelled.

The yell shook Link and Sallah out of their frozen state. They turned and ran down the hall. They could hear the many feet behind them slapping the ground as the Watchog chased them. Link randomly turned corner after corner, hoping the lose them. However, the Watchog only seemed to be catching up instead.

As Link and Sallah turned a corner at a split, a Watchog flew behind them and slammed its foot into the wall, throwing of a chuck out of it. When Link glanced back to see it, he saw that the Watchog were starting to really catch up. Screaming out of fear, Link ran as hard as he could, the powerful kicks a good motivator. Sallah had to do her long hops in order to keep up.

Suddenly, as they turned another corner, they found themselves back in the large garden area. The Watchog around the garden stopped and stared at them. Ignoring them, Link and Sallah ran past, still screaming. When the other Watchog got to the garden, the Watchog realized they were intruders and joined in.

Link and Sallah ran around the garden, not really caring where they were going. Finally, they were stopped at one of the castle's wall. Turning around, Link saw that they were already surrounded. Shivering, Link covered his head and waited for them to start kicking.

"What's going on here?" a voice asked, stopping everything.

Link uncovered his head to see the Watchog turning and bowing to someone. "Princess Vulpix," they all said in unison. Link held his breath as he realized that it had been the princess that had spoken. He was finally going to meet her. The two Watchog in front of Link moved aside, revealing the Pokemon Link had been searching for.

There, standing with her head high, was a Vulpix, a small silver crown resting on her head. Her very posture seemed to radiate her authority as she glanced at each Watchog. The Vulpix looked at Link and he gasped as he saw the small, blue bow on her right ear.


	8. The Legend of Heroes

**Author's Note: **Yes, I know I should concentrate a little more on "Silver", but I just can't stop thinking up new ideas for this story. Well, here's chapter eight. Review! -EeveeInHeat

**The Legend of Vulpix: Leaf of Time**

- **Chapter 8: The Legend of Heroes** -

"Leave us," the Vulpix said quietly, waving her tails for the Watchog to leave.

"But Princess-" a Watchog started.

"Leave," she repeated. The Watchog slowly backed away and left the garden.

Link stared at the Vulpix. "V-Vixen?" he asked, confused.

She smiled at him and turned around. "Come with me," she said.

Still confused, Link and Sallah followed her farther into the garden area. They entered a small archway and continued until they reach another garden. This garden was smaller than the other and hemmed in by the castle's walls. The garden was surrounded by a small stream that went along the edge. Several small flowers were blooming in the middle. On the other side of the garden, a few steps led to a higher platform, also covered in grass.

Vixen stepped up onto the platform and turned to face Link and Sallah. "Welcome to my own personal garden," she said, nodding her head.

Link nodded his head in return. "B-but, y-you," Link stuttered, still too confused to speak normally.

"Yes, I am Princess Vulpix," Vixen said.

Link stared at her a second, before Sallah nudged him. "Link, the stone," she whispered.

"Oh, right," Link muttered, opening his sack. He pulled out the Eternal Leaf Stone. "Um, Grace told me I was to bring this to you," he said, putting it down.

Vixen smiled and nodded. "Yes, it is the Eternal Leaf Stone. Grace was the protector of the stone to keep it out of evil paws," she said.

Link suddenly remembered the other item and pulled out her Leaf. "Uh, you also dropped this back in the market," he said, handing it her.

Vixen took it and smiled at him again. Link simply stood there for a second, transfixed by her smile. Suddenly, she frowned and darted her paw down, hiding the Leaf under her paw. Confused, Link looked back and saw a Pokemon coming. The Pokemon was a canine like them, but stood on its hind legs. It was also much taller than them. The Pokemon's face was blue, with black marking across it and small black things hanging down on either side. It had yellowish fur on its chest, with a small horn coming out of it. Its arms and legs were black, with a horn on either hand.

The Pokemon entered, holding one hand over its chest. "Greetings, Princess Vulpix. I have come to meet with your father," it said. The smile on its face seemed faked.

"How dare you enter my garden without permission, Sir Zoron," Vixen said angrily, though she stood tensely and kept her face stern.

"I am very sorry," he said calmly. "But I have traveled far and would be disappointed if I did not see the Pokemon this country so boasts of. And I must say that the rumors are not wrong. You are the most beautiful of princesses that I have ever seen."

"Your flattery will not work on me. You may have come to speak with my father, but you will not have the same favor with me," Vixen replied.

He bowed at her words, but didn't turn to leave. "I see that I will have to show you my value sometime. However, I also came because of the rumored treasure of the Hyrule family that is said to be passed down from generations ago. I believe it was called the "Leaf of Time." I have heard that you are the one who possesses that valuable artifact. I was wondering if you could show it to me sometime," he said.

"I know not of these rumors. However, a few Sableye asked me the very same thing just last night. Were they acquaintances of yours?" Vixen asked.

The Pokemon stopped smiling, knowing that he was caught. He glanced over at Link and stopped. He stared straight at Link, but Link returned it. However, Link noticed that the Pokemon wasn't looking him in the eyes, but rather staring at his forehead.

After a moment, the Pokemon turned and left, leaving Vixen's question unanswered. For some reason, the area seemed to become lighter as the Pokemon left.

"That was Zoron, leader of the tribe of Pokemon out in the desert in the far west. He is why the caravan is here," she said. "As of now, he swears loyalty and service to my father, but I know that he has no loyalty to this country. He is actually after the Triforce in order to gain control of this land."

"The Triforce!" Link exclaimed. _So that is the Pokemon Grace was talking about,_ he thought.

Vixen nodded and moved to one side of the small platform. Sitting down, she put her Leaf in her rolls and patted the spot next to her. "Here, sit," she said. "I have some more things I need to tell you."

Link nodded and sat beside her, Sallah sitting down on his other side. "Grace told me that an evil Pokemon was after the Triforce," Link said.

"Yes," Vixen agreed, "I believe there is, too. Recently, I've been having a dream that I believe represents the future. In the sky, dark black clouds start to cover the sky, sending Hyrule into darkness. However, right before it completely covers the sky, everything stops. Then, a shining figure appears in the remaining part of the sky. It starts to shine brightly, forcing the clouds to start to be pushed back. Afterward, the figure lands on the ground and the light covering it leaves. Standing there is an Eevee, with the symbol of a piece of the Triforce on his forehead."

"An Eevee, with a symbol?" Link asked.

"When I first saw you, I knew you were the one I saw in my dream. With the Triforce symbol on your forehead and the way you fought in the sky, I believe that means you are the Hero of Sky," Vixen said. "However, I am sure that the dark clouds are the representation of Zoron and his evil. I am sure his greed and hunger for power will destroy this land.

"I have told my father several times about it, but he believes I am misinterpreting it. While he thinks I may have the visionary powers of my mother, he says that not only is there no Eevee in the land, but the clouds could possible mean anything. Also, my mother has had no warning about this, and she is usually the one warned of coming destruction. Besides, Zoron is a crafty Pokemon who has tricked his way in my father's graces. No other Pokemon believes he could do harm," Vixen said sadly.

"I believe you," Link said. "I'm sure he is the Pokemon Grace said that sent the evil to the forest and killed her."

"Grace has died?" Vixen replied, shocked. "That's horrible. We must not allow Zoron to get his hands on the Triforce."

"Where is the Triforce?" Link asked.

"The Triforce is hidden inside what we call the Temple of Time. It is sealed and can only be opened when the three legendary stones are brought together there. Then, all that is left is using the treasure of the Hyrule family, the Leaf of Time," Vixen said, pulling out her Leaf.

"So I need two more stones," Link muttered. "Don't worry," he told her. "I'll bring back those two other stones. I'll make sure Zoron doesn't get the Triforce."

"Thank you, Link," Vixen said. "Now, I will tell you of the Legend of Heroes."

"Legend of Heroes?" Link repeated.

"Yes," Vixen replied. "It is an old legend telling us how the Triforce came to be. Long ago, there were three powerful Pokemon, Kyogre, Groudon, and Rayquaza who lived in this region. One day, Kyogre and Groudon started to fight. The battle was horrible and destroyed the land everywhere. When Rayquaza saw their fighting, he grew furious and attacked them both, adding to the destruction.

"The battle destroyed much and only continued to escalate. Many Pokemon were without homes, friends, and loved ones. When most had lost faith in survival, and the battled climaxed, three small Pokemon came to the front line and faced the three legendary Pokemon. Combining their power, they sent a powerful blast at the legendary Pokemon, stopping the battle momentarily. Stepping forward, one of the small Pokemon started to talk to the legendary Pokemon. He convinced the legendary Pokemon that there was no reason to fight and got them to see the damage they had done and the lives that had been lost.

"Seeing everything they had done, the legendary Pokemon grew remorseful. They took their power and then blessed the land to help the Pokemon repair their homes. Then, they took their power and gave it to the three Pokemon that had stopped them, allowing them to help control and govern the land, protecting it from evil. The three legendary Pokemon left the land, leaving one last gift. It was a collection of their combined power that could restore the land altogether should something else happen.

"The three Pokemon used the gift and called it the Triforce, because it was the combined powers of three legendary Pokemon. With it and the powers they now possessed, they helped the land to flourish and grow strong. The three Pokemon became known as the Three Heroes of Hyrule. Each was given a different title for the power they were blessed with. The Pokemon with the power from Kyogre was called the Hero of Time. The Pokemon with the power from Groudon was called the Hero of Darkness. While the Pokemon that had the power from Rayquaza was called the Hero of Sky.

"It is said that their descendants also had that power and it was passed down through their blood lines, though it usually skipped a generation between each passing. When the land was stable and able to support itself, the three Pokemon decided that the Triforce needed to be put away for protection and to keep it safe for when it would be needed again. Six Pokemon of higher power helped them to create a special place and seal for it. Around it, they built the Temple of Time.

"If one gathers the three stones and plays the Song of Time with the Leaf of Time, the door to the Triforce will be opened. This is the secret that is passed down from generation to generation in the Hyrule royal family. My mother told me, and she also told me to keep it secret from anyone else, along with the Leaf of Time," Vixen said, looking down at her Leaf.

"Why are you telling me such an important secret like that, Princess Vulpix?" Link asked.

"Because, you believe me even when my father won't," Vixen said, looking at him. "And I believe in you."

Link felt his cheeks grow hot as Vixen looked at him. He looked awkwardly down. "Uh," he started, unsure of what to say.

Before he could continue, he heard someone coming. Glancing up, he saw the black furred Pokemon from before standing right in front of them. Link jumped back from it, startled. "Link, this is Luna, my nurse and attendant," Vixen said, not at all surprised. "Luna, this is the Eevee I saw in my dream."

"I am Princess Vulpix's protector," the Pokemon said, dipping her head slightly. "I saw everything that happened in the market, including when the Sableye attacked."

"I'm sorry that I said I hadn't seen a Vulpix before. I didn't know what a Vulpix was at the time," Link said, bowing his head to her.

"It is okay," Luna replied. "I saw how you defended Princess Vulpix and I know you can be trusted with her secrets."

"You're amazing, Luna," Vixen said.

"Err, I'm sorry, but I don't know what species you are," Link said.

"Luna is a Luxray," Vixen explained. "Luxray have the power to see through walls, shock their enemies, and blend in with the night."

"Okay," Link said, nodding. "However, how did you know I had that symbol on my forehead? I've always tried to hide it."

"I know of it, because I too have the Triforce mark," Vixen said. She flipped her head up, throwing the front of the hair on her head up. For a few moments, Link could see a small triangle of yellow like his on her forehead. Then her hair came back down and it was hidden again. "Only Luna and I know that I am one of the Heroes. Not even my parents know," she explained.

"Now, I do not know the location of the Eternal Water Stone, but the legend mentions that the Eternal Fire Stone can be found in the protection of the fire tribe near Muerte Mountain. The tribe is run by Rhy. He should be willing to give you the Eternal Fire Stone when you show him the Triforce symbol," Luna said.

Link nodded. "Okay, I'll . . . err, could you tell the guards to let me out," Link asked.

Luna nodded. "I'll do that now," she said. When Link glanced over at her, he was shocked to see she was already gone.

"How did she do that?" Link asked, looking around to see if he could see her somewhere.

Vixen giggled. "She always travels like that," she explained. "She says she learned it from an old elder. Maybe she'll teach you one day."

"Oh, well I'll be going to get those two stones," Link said, turning to go.

"Link, wait," Vixen said, making him turn back around. She hesitated, as though unsure what to say to him.

"Don't worry, Princess Vulpix. I'll bring back the two Eternal stones before Zoron gets his hands on them," Link promised. "I won't let you down."

Vixen paused before saying, "Right, and I'll keep the Leaf of Time safe here with me." She approached him and leaned toward his ear. "Be careful, Link," she whispered, before kissing him lightly on the cheek. Link felt heat rise up in his cheeks as he stood there, shocked.

Sallah shock her head and pulled Link around. Link numbly went forward, not paying attention at all. When they passed under the archway to the other garden, Link felt a strange tingle travel across his body, but he ignored it and continued his mindless walk.

Link barely recognized where they were going, but Sallah eventually led them to the entrance of the castle. Snapping out of his trance, Link suddenly felt energetic and started running forward, laughing as Sallah cried out in indignation and chased after him. The Watchog moved aside as he rushed pass. As Link headed down the path toward the market, he somehow knew that he would be able to find the stones and stop Zoron.


	9. Blue and Blitz

**Author's Note: **Whoop! I got a favorite for this story! Hmm, a little fun fact is that the word 'Muerte' is Spanish for the word 'death'.-EeveeInHeat

**The Legend of Vulpix: Leaf of Time**

- **Chapter 9: Blue and Blitz **-

The market was once again buzzing with noise as the Pokemon started their day. Link and Sallah once again found themselves having to slip around and between the other Pokemon, being largely ignored because of their small size.

After being pushed and shoved a while, Link finally decided to slip into a small alley. Sallah followed him into the passage, sitting down quickly to catch her breath. Once they had caught their breath, Link was about to go back in the crowd, when he heard a quiet whimpering. Link looked around confused, and found the sound coming from further in the alley.

"Do you hear that?" Link asked.

"How you can you hear anything with all this noise?" Sallah grumbled.

Link went down the alley and stopped as he came to a corner. There, a small Pokemon was sitting against the wall. The Pokemon blue and had a silver headpiece that went down its back. A large tooth on either side went over its top lip. The Pokemon was looking down at its stomach, which rumbled loudly. Though Link wasn't sure what it was, he could tell it was just a youngling.

Sallah came up beside him and gasped as she saw the poor Pokemon. "I think it's hungry," she murmured. She went up to the Pokemon and made a soft cooing sound. It looked up at her and then back at its stomach, a few tears forming.

"Do you think it's lost?" Link asked.

"Are you lost little one?" Sallah asked, touching it on the shoulder. The Pokemon made a deep, low sound, but didn't say anything they could understand.

"Let's get it something to eat. We can look for its family later," Link suggested.

"But, we don't have anything," Sallah replied, rubbing the little Pokemon's head.

Link pondered it for a moment, before coming up with an idea. "Let's find Falon and Tao. They could help us."

Sallah nodded, but paused. "I don't want to leave him here, though," she said, rubbing his head again.

"We can take him with us; come on," he said.

"Little Pokemon, will you follow us? We will get you some food," she said. The small Pokemon tilted its head in confusion, but slowly got up. By the way it was standing, the Pokemon was probably not even a week old.

"Its parents are probably going crazy. It's way too young to be running around," Link commented.

"Let's just find Tao," Sallah replied, leading the Pokemon toward the busy market area.

They headed their way slowly through the crowd, trying hard to remember where they had left Tao and Falon. After a while, they finally reached it. Tao was lying against a nearby way in the shade with the cart no longer attached. Falon was sitting up behind a large stand, though he appeared to almost be asleep. Most of the boxes on the cart were now gone, though there were a few left.

"Falon, sir," Link said, trying to get his attention. However, Falon seemed zoned out and didn't respond at all. Sighing, Link passed him and went over to Tao. "Tao?" he prompted.

Tao yawned, before stretching and sitting up. "Oh, it's you two. How are you? Did you find Princess Vulpix?" she asked kindly.

"Well, yes, but we found this Pokemon and we don't have anything to feed it," Link explained.

Tao looked past him and finally noticed the small, blue Pokemon. "I see; well, I'll get Falon to get it some Moo-Moo Milk. That should fill it right up," she said. She went over to Falon and whacked him with one of her tails.

Falon jumped up, gasping. "What happened?" he asked, looking around.

"This poor Pokemon needs something to drink. Get it some Moo-Moo Milk," Tao ordered.

"Oh, okay," he murmured. He reached down and pulled a jug filled with a white liquid just like before. He handed the jar to Link and then sat back down, almost instantly going back into his trance.

Link held the jar out to the small Pokemon, and chuckled as it immediately started to lap at it. "Where did you find this little Bagon?" Tao asked.

"It's a Bagon?" Link asked.

Sallah shrugged at him before turning to Tao. "Well, we were resting at an alleyway, when we heard it whimpering. It doesn't seem to understand what we say, and we don't know where its family is," Sallah explained, while Link concentrated on feeding the small Bagon.

Tao frowned at this. "By the size of this Bagon, it's way too young to be on its own. Usually, Bagon are two feet tall, but this one is a foot, the size when they hatch. In fact, it might still not be able to eat solids, yet," Tao commented.

They watched the Bagon happily drink up the Moo-Moo Milk for a while, before Link asked the obvious question. "What do we do with this little baby?"

"I could inform the guards of a lost Bagon. While they search for its parents, I'll keep it here until its family comes. I suspect you aren't staying here," she stated more than questioned.

Link nodded in response. Soon, the Bagon had finished the drink and rubbed up against Link. The Bagon looked completely refreshed after the energizing drink. "I think it likes me," he commented. The Bagon sat down and leaned against Link, closing its eyes. Link chuckled and curled his tail around the small Pokemon.

Tao approached him. "I'll go take the Bagon to the cart. It can rest there until its family comes." Tao reached down and picked the Bagon up by the back of the neck with her mouth. The Bagon immediately began struggling as it was lifted off the ground. It let out a soft cry, though it was more of a growl with its deep voice. When Tao placed it on the cart, it wobbled over to the side and let out its cry, waving its arms.

"I don't think it likes the cart," Sallah noted.

Tao sighed and picked the Bagon back up. When she put it down, the Bagon immediately stumbled over to Link and embraced him with its short arms. Standing next to Link, it was slightly taller than him, as he wasn't fully grown either. A rumbling growl came out of its throat as it rubbed its head against Link.

"Uh, any idea what's happening?" Link asked.

Tao pondered it for a moment before answering. "It may think you're its parent."

"What!" both Sallah and Link exclaimed. Sallah then began to laugh, while Link looked worriedly at the affectionate Bagon.

"Where are you two heading?" Tao asked slowly.

"Uh . . . Mie, Mir . . . Muerte Mountain, uh, right Sallah?" Link asked. Sallah nodded in agreement. "We're looking for the fire tribe near there."

"That means you'll be coming close to Rayese Village. That village happens to have an orphanage. You could take this Bagon there to stay, and I can tell the guards to inform it will be there. We'll be leaving here soon with so many sales, and it obviously has grown fond of you. What do you say?" Tao asked.

"Maybe, but I have a question. Where are Rayese Village and Muerte Mountain?" Link asked.

"When you leaved past the wall, follow the river to a bridge. Take the path to Rayese Village. Muerte Mountain can be seen from there. The large mountain has a cloud of smoke around the top of it, so it's hard to miss," Tao answered. "Can you remember all that?"

"Definitely," Link said, nodding. Beside him, Sallah discretely rolled her eyes and then pointed at herself.

"Okay, if you'll take this little Bagon, make sure you keep it fed and watch out for its safety," Tao warned.

"Got it," Link replied. "Are you ready to go, little Bagon?" he asked it. The Bagon pulled away and tilted its head, still not fully understanding. "I'll take that as a 'yes'."

"Good luck with your quest," Tao called out as they started toward the gate.

As they went, the Bagon followed right behind Link, one little hand holding his tail. Every little, Link looked back to make sure it was still with them as they went. They went a little slower with the Bagon, but not much with the crowded place already slowing them down.

Soon, they were at the gate and started out back into the large grassland. After crossing the wooden bridge, Link paused as he thought of a problem. "Uh, which way do we follow the river?" Link asked.

Sallah looked around, before pointing downriver toward the horizon. There, what appeared to be small cones were coming out of the ground. "Those should be mountains. Muerte Mountain should be near other mountains, and Rayese Village should be on the way," Sallah explained.

"Then let's go," Link said, marching out. They headed along the river, keeping a little distance from it so the Bagon didn't get too close. "Hmm, what do you think we should name this fellow?" Link asked.

"No," Sallah immediately said. "Naming grows a connection, which means it will be harder to leave it at Rayese Village."

"But we can't just go on calling it 'Bagon'," Link protested. "I'm going to name it." He looked back at the Bagon and pondered it for a second, before choosing something. "I'll call you Blue. How do you like it?" Blue tilted his head again, before letting out one of its growls. Link wondered how he would be able to tell the difference between a threatening growl and a purring growl.

Sallah sighed. "Fine, but I'll be right, eventually." They walked in silence for a little, before Sallah spoke again. "I wonder how the others in the forest are doing."

The comment made Link's thoughts go back to when he was in the forest. Then, he remembered when he had last seen Rose, when she handed him her Leaf. _Play it and remember the forest, okay? _Rose's words echoed in his head.

They crested the hill and paused to look around. The river continued on as far as they could see, even from their height. "Let's rest a little," Link suggested. "It looks like it will still be a while, and Blue's probably never walked this far."

They sat on the top of the hill, Blue rubbing up against Link again. Since they weren't moving anymore, Link reached up and pulled down Rose's Leaf. He looked at it fondly for a little, a small blush forming as he remembered what happened after she had given it to him. Blue leaned over and sniffed it, before opening his mouth to take a bite.

"No," Link said, pulling the Leaf away. "This isn't food, it's a Leaf." Blue tilted its head again, and then let out a weird sound. "Are you trying to say something?" Link asked. Blue narrowed his eyes, and opened his mouth again, letting out the sound again. "Sallah, I think he's trying to say something!" Link exclaimed.

"Pokemon learn to talk quickly," Sallah commented. "Don't you know that from when you were young?"

"I don't remember much back then," Link admitted. He turned back to Blue excitedly as Blue continued to try to form the words. "Can you say 'Link'? Can you?"

Blue continued to try to make the noise. Soon, the noise was starting to be recognizable. "Li . . . Li . . . nk . . . Link," Blue finally said.

"He said my name!" Link exclaimed, laughing.

"Link! Link!" Blue repeated, letting out his growling purr.

"I say this is ripe for some music," Link commented.

Link placed the Leaf against his mouth and started to blow. After a little trying, Link was able to replicate Rose's favorite tune. Blue began to add his growling to the music, and their musical drifted through the air. Sallah leaned back serenely, and they enjoyed the moment, adding her whistling to the mixture.

Link was about to finish, when they was interrupted by the sound of clomping. Link stopped and looked around to see a Pokemon approaching them. The Pokemon was mostly black, though it had white stripes covering it. The Pokemon's four legs were like Tao's, ending with hooves. There was a white spiked mane traveling down the back of its neck.

"Hello," the Pokemon greeted, coming up.

"Hello, I'm Link," Link introduced. "This is Blue, and that is Sallah."

"I'm called Blitz. That was some nice music you were playing," he complimented.

"Uh, I'm sorry, but what species are you?" Link asked.

"I'm a Blitzle," Blitz replied. "But, I must ask the same of you."

"I'm an Eevee," Link replied.

"You all were pretty good at that music. Are you guys traveling minstrels?" Blitz asked.

"What are minstrels?" Link asked.

"Performers," Sallah answered. "No, we're on a quest to Muerte Mountain to find a tribe near there."

Blitz's eyes glittered. "A quest? That sounds exciting," he said.

"I know; why don't you come with us?" Link asked.

"Wait," Sallah interrupted. Pulling Link aside, she reached up and whispered into his ear, "We can't just have everyone join as we go."

"But Blitz seems nice," Link objected.

"We just met him," Sallah countered.

"I want him to come," Link protested. "Besides, what harm could he do?"

Sallah sighed. "Are you never going to listen? Fine, but I'll still not sure about this."

Link turned back to Blitz. "So? Do you want to come?" Link asked.

"Oh, I've always wanted to go somewhere besides this dreary grassland. To be able to see other places and have new experiences; I would enjoy coming along," Blitz replied.

"Good; let's get back on our way," Link called, heading down the hill alongside the river.

Blue ran up and clutched Link's tail again as they began. "Link!" he called out happily.

"So, why are we going to Muerte Mountain?" Blitz asked.

"I'm looking for some stones," Link replied.

"Link," Blue called, smiling. Link smiled back at the little Bagon.

"Oh, are you looking for a Fire Stone to be a Flareon?" Blitz asked.

"I was looking for one, but to bring it to someone else," Link answered.

Wind whipped past them as they headed along the river. In the distance, a small structure could be seen going over the river.

(0)

"Blitz? Blitz?" the small, brown Pokemon called as it looked around. Even using its tail to help it gain height, it still could not see the Blitzle anywhere. "Oh, that little guy's going to get into trouble one day from running away all the time. I guess I'll go back," she murmured, coming back down to its feet.

Sighing, the small brown Pokemon turned and headed back toward the small ranch. It knew it didn't have to worry about Blitz so much, but Blitz also shouldn't be leaving without telling them. Maybe Blitz would finally have the adventure he was always searching for.


	10. Orphans on the Loose, Part 1

**Author's Note:** And now for one of my little spins that wasn't in the manga or game. Sorry for the slight delay; I was too focused on "Silver" and . . . another story.-EeveeInHeat

**Poll: **It's been a while since I had one of these. Anyway, with the end of "Silver" in sight, I've been wondering what idea to work on next. Since I'm still unable to decide, I've put up a poll for my readers to choose. Check it out on my Profile.

**The Legend of Vulpix: Leaf of Time**

- **Chapter 10: Orphans on the Loose, Part 1** -

As the group continued, the bridge that spanned the river came into sight. The stone structure was wide enough for them all to cross at once. A railing was on either side at about Link's height. Unlike the bridge into the market, there were no guards posted on it.

Finally, they reached the bridge. Link was just about to start crossing, when something shot of the water with a loud splash. Small water droplets flew across them as the Pokemon jumped onto the bridge blocking the way. The red Pokemon had a large oval like head with a barrel like mouth. Instead of feet, it had tentacles, with two large ones waving around in front of it. There were small yellow pads along the bottom of its tentacles.

"None shall pass," it said, waving its two main tentacles at them.

"Why?" Sallah asked.

"The great Samuel says none may pass the river until he is finished searching," the Pokemon said.

"Who's the great Samuel?" Link asked. "And what is he searching for?"

"Go back. You may not pass until he allows," it said, ignoring Link's questions.

"We just want-" Link started.

"Go back," it repeated, "Or else."

"Hey, you can't just threaten us like that," Sallah complained.

Suddenly, its two tentacles shot forward and wrapped around Link and Sallah. Link was lifted off the ground by his waist, his legs dangling. He tried to wiggle free, but the Pokemon had too tight of a grip.

"Yes, I can; now go-" it started.

The Pokemon was interrupted as Blue suddenly slammed into it head first, yelling, "Link!"

The Pokemon dropped Link and Sallah and clutched at where Link guessed to be its stomach. Blue leapt forward again, but the Pokemon leapt up onto one of the railings. "How dare-" it started.

It was once again interrupted by Blue plowing into him with his head. The Pokemon started swaying before falling backwards into the river. They all ran to the edge and looked over. The Pokemon was slowly drifting away on the water.

"Sorry about that," Blitz called out.

"The great Samuel will hear about this. You will be punished!" it exclaimed. It continued to shout at them as it went downstream until its voice faded away.

Link and Sallah turned to stare at Blue, amazed at the power it had shown. Blue ran up and embraced Link in a tighter squeeze than the Pokemon had. "Link!" he exclaimed.

"How is that Bagon so strong? I thought it was just a baby," Sallah said.

"His name is Blue," Link said, finally getting free of Blue's hug.

"Looks can be deceiving," Blitz commented.

"Link," Blue repeated, rubbing his head against Link's side.

Link smiled at the small Pokemon and nuzzled it on the forehead. "Well, we better go in case that . . . Pokemon does tell someone," Link said.

"That was an Octillery," Blitz informed.

Link started down the path that started on the other side of the bridge. "I wonder how far Rayese Village is from here," Link speculated.

(0)

"Link," Blue murmured pitifully. The dragon's stomach was almost louder than him as it growled.

"I know, Blue. I'm hungry, too," Link replied to the youngling, his stomach then trying to make conversation with Blue's.

"Is this how it's always going to be?" Sallah complained.

"I ate earlier today," Blitz murmured quietly. However, he was still overheard.

"That doesn't fill my belly!" Sallah snapped, before sighing. "Sorry, it's not your fault."

Link glanced to his left and looked once again at the spot where he suspected Muerte Mountain was. The few clouds in the sky made him unsure, but the impressive size of the mountain nestled among the others made him think it was. As far as he saw, they would have to track over the mountains if they were going to get to the large one he thought was Muerte Mountain, which wasn't very encouraging to the already hungry Eevee.

"Is that . . . is that Rayese Village?" Sallah murmured as they turned a corner in the road heading around the base of a mountain.

The sight was rather surprising as they turned a corner to see a large set of buildings almost right in front of them. "We're here!" Link exclaimed, his speed slightly increasing, though still limited by Blue hanging on to his tail.

"Link!" Blue exclaimed, catching onto Link's excitement.

Soon, they were walking down a dirt path with buildings on either side, though they were less impressive than the ones at Hyrule Market. The buildings opened up to a large square area, the sides filled with small stalls. In the center was a well without a covering over it. There were many less Pokemon in this square than the market, fortunately, though Link still knew few of the species.

"Let's get some food," Link said, looking around for a food stall.

"Uh, Link, there's a problem; we have no money," Sallah said, looking defeated.

Link's shoulders and ears dropped in disappointment, his tail still held up by Blue. "Wait, we earned money with those games," Link remembered, hope rising again. "We could find one of those again."

"I don't think they have those here," Sallah said, glancing around.

"Then what do we do? I'm hungry," Link complained.

"Link," Blue added.

"Well, first we need to get the Bagon over to the orphanage," Sallah said, before her stomach rumbled. Blushing, she added, "Maybe they'll have some food for us."

"His name is Blue," Link retorted, before he sighed and looked at Blue. "The orphanage, right," he murmured.

Blitz suddenly walked, though they hadn't noticed when he had left. "Guys, the orphanage is down that street," he said, nodding his head to one of the streets heading away from the square.

"Come on," Link said, slowly walking in the direction Blitz had mentioned.

Seeing Link was sad, Blue let go of Link's tail and came up to his head, giving him an embrace. "Link," he said. Link smiled at the young Bagon and continued down the street, Blue once again grabbing his tail.

They instantly knew when they reached the orphanage. Loud screaming combined with the small toys in the small yard behind the building confirmed it. Hesitantly, Sallah knocked on the door. The sounds coming out of the building stopped, making everything else seem silent.

The door slowly opened to show a large brown Pokemon. On its yellow skinned stomach, there was a large empty pouch. The Pokemon was much taller than them as it stood on its thick hind legs. A long tail draped on the floor behind it. Several small Pokemon were half hiding behind it, peeking out to look at the newcomers.

"Hello; do you little ones need something?" the Pokemon asked.

"Uh, well this little Bagon here may be an orphan, but we're not fully sure. We were told to bring it here in case its family doesn't come," Sallah said, before her stomach rumbled again. Trying to nervously chuckle the noise off, she continued, "And we were wondering if you could spare some food."

"Here, come in off the street," the Pokemon said, waving them in.

Link the others walked in, Blue clutching a little harder on his tail. The small Pokemon darted away farther into the building as they came in. The larger Pokemon led them into another room and had them sit down.

"So, this Bagon may be an orphan . . . well we can take him in, but we don't have that much food to spare," the Pokemon said, making Link's and Sallah's shoulders drop. "However, I do need some help around here. My assistant is out on vacation, so I'm trying to handle all these youngsters on my own," she said, waving an arm toward the doorway.

Link looked back and saw the Pokemon peeking around into the room. Their heads slipped behind the wall as they were noticed.

"I would be willing to give you dinner for today and tomorrow along with a room for the night if you would be willing to help me out tomorrow," the Pokemon offered.

"We'll do it," Link instantly said, his tail almost wagging out of Blue's hold.

"We were just about to eat, so why don't you come in to the dining room," the Pokemon said getting up.

"Uh, one question," Link said. The Pokemon paused, waiting for him to continue. "What species of Pokemon are you?"

Chuckling a little, she said, "We haven't really introduced ourselves, have we? I am a Kangaskhan, called Aunty by all the youngsters."

"I'm Link, and this is Blue," Link replied.

"I'm Sallah," Sallah introduced.

"And I am called Blitz," Blitz added.

"Nice to meet all of you," Aunty replied, before heading into another room.

They went into the other room to find the small Pokemon all crowding around a long table. Sitting by the table, Link and the others waited with the small children. Link was able to recognize one of the ten children as an Oddish, and another as a young Rattata before Aunty starting placing down berries in front of each of them.

Link paused as he remembered Blue. "Uh, Aunty?" he asked. She glanced over at him, but continued putting food down. "Blue doesn't eat solids yet," he said.

Aunty nodded and finished putting food out for all of them. She then took a few Oran berries and crushed them into a bowl. She put the bowl down beside Link, and Blue immediately began lapping it up happily.

As Link ate, the orphans whispered excited to one another as they finished. The little Pokemon seemed to have a lot of energy, and Link wondered if helping out might be harder than he had thought.

After the meal, Aunty led the young ones off to their rooms. Once they were gone, she tried to lead Blue up to his new room, but he clutched tightly onto Link's tail. "Link," Blue said, using his one word vocabulary.

Aunty smiled at him and turned to Link. "It appears he's attached to you. Would you mind him sleeping with you the night; it might help he get settled in this new place," she said.

"I don't mind," Link replied.

"Then I'll lead you to the room you'll be staying in," she said, starting down a hall.

They followed her until she came to a set of stairs. Following her up into another hallway, they were led to a small room at the end of the hall. Inside, Aunty put down a few blankets.

"Here it is. I'll come get you when the day's work will begin," she said, heading out.

Blitz and Sallah both laid down on blankets to themselves. Link curled up on the third blanket, Blue snuggling up beside him. Link smiled, but then frowned as he remembered tomorrow was his last day with blue. Sighing sadly, Link wrapped his tail around Blue and fell asleep.

(0)

Link woke up refreshed. He was just opened his eyes, when he heard the sound of thumping coming toward them. He got up carefully to not disturb Blue and stretched. Soon, Aunty was at the doorway.

"Get your friends and meet me downstairs," she said. Link nodded, and she walked away.

Link slightly shook each of the party members, and they were soon on their way downstairs. Aunty was already down there, the small children in front of her. They were almost buzzing with energy and Link began second thoughts once again.

"Okay, each of you will take three to take care of. You'll stay out back and watch them until it's time for dinner. Any questions?" she asked. They shook their heads. "Good; okay guys, get into your groups."

The ten Pokemon suddenly split and headed for each of them. The Rattata headed for Sallah, though he didn't recognize the small blue Pokemon with a small beak, or the small reddish brown Pokemon with a large head.

A Zigzagoon went over to Blitz with an orange, lizard like Pokemon with its tail on fire, and a small blue Pokemon with a fin on its head and back and orange spikes on its cheeks. A small yellow creature stayed with Aunty, clutching to one of her legs.

Link looked at the three Pokemon that had come to him. One was the small blue Oddish. Another was a small purple Pokemon with a hand like appendage on the end of its tail. Link thought that the Pokemon was an Aipom. The third was a small yellow Pokemon with black markings on the end of its overlarge ears. Its head was almost too large for its body.

Link looked up as Aunt approached him. "Let me take Blue, and I'll help him get used to the place," she said.

Link looked back at the Bagon who was still attached to his tail. "Blue, will you stay with Aunty for a little?" he asked. "I'll see you later today."

Instead of tilting his head, Blue looked down thoughtful. He looked up and said, "Link." Link was wondering what he meant, when Blue let go of his tail and walked over to Aunty, his shoulders slumped and staring at his feet.

Aunty smiled and patted Blue on the head. "Don't worry; we'll have fun," she promised. Turning to Link, Sallah, and Blitz, she instructed, "Watch them closely and keep them in the yard. I'll come get you when dinner's ready. Now go on."

They nodded and started toward the back door Aunty pointed to. The small Pokemon were whispering excitedly as the exited the building. They split up their groups into different parts of the backyard. Link was slightly nervous as he turned to face his group, but it washed away as he saw their excited stares.

"Okay, I am Link," he introduced.

The small yellow creature immediately waved its hand in the air frantically.

"Yes, umm?" Link paused.

"I am Pika the Pichu. What species are you?" he squeaked.

"I am an Eevee," Link informed.

The three Pokemon stared at him in amazement. "He's an Eevee, just like General Blaze" the Oddish murmured to the Aipom.

"Who's General Blaze?" Link asked.

"You don't know General Blaze?" the Aipom exclaimed.

"General Blaze was a powerful Eevee that worked for King Arcanine until he died protecting his home. He was rumored to be able to take down ten opponents at once when he became a Flareon," Oddish explained.

"Hey, let's play a game," Pika interrupted.

"Wait, we need introductions first," the Aipom retorted. "I'm Mon."

"I'm Nip," the Oddish said.

"Okay, time for the game," Pika quickly added. Link opened his mouth to suggest one he knew, but Pika continued. "Let's play Hide and Seek."

"That's a fun game," Mon said, jumping up into the air.

"I'm going to win," Nip proudly stated.

"Uh," Link tried to start.

However, Pika interrupted again. "Link's the seeker. Close your eyes," he said, putting his hands in front of Link's eyes.

"O-okay," Link said, closing his eyes.

"Count to ten, and then try to find us," Pika ordered.

Sighing, Link nodded. He started to count as he heard their pattering feet fade. When he got to ten, he opened his eyes. Glancing around, he found that they were nowhere in sight. Then he realized he could see the whole backyard.

"Link!" Sallah called out, running over to him. "I . . . they . . . I lost them," Sallah said, panting slightly.

"Uh, I think I just did, too," Link admitted.


	11. Orphans on the Loose, Part 2

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the slight delay, but I was focused on reading a few fics and writing a few other pieces. Also, this chapter was strangely hard to write until today, when I just wrote it completely out in one sitting.-EeveeInHeat

**The Legend of Vulpix: Leaf of Time**

- **Chapter 11: Orphans on the Loose, Part 2** -

"Quick, we have to find them," Sallah said, heading toward the street.

Link hurried after her. Once on the dirt street, they started looking around for the runaways. However, the small Pokemon were nowhere in sight. "What do we do?" Link asked.

"We'll split up to cover more ground," Sallah suggested, before running off in one direction.

Link ran the other way, looking around frantically. He turned a corner and saw a few large leaves pull through an archway of a stone wall. Remembering the Oddish's leaves, Link hurried up to the entry in the stone wall.

When he got there, he saw that there was a large field, the ground rising in long rows across it. All along the rows were shoot of small leaves as food grew up. It took a moment before Link realized that the leaves on the plants matched Nip's leaves.

"Uh, Nip, come on out," Link called, stepping into the yard. There was no response. "We're not playing anymore. You need to come out now." Still nothing stirred in the large garden.

Sighing, Link started down one of the rows, trying to find Nip. To him, though, each plant looked the same. After going down each of the long rows, Link still hadn't found the little Oddish. Sighing again, Link sat down near the entrance.

His ears perked as he suddenly heard a giggling nearby. Keeping himself still, he glanced around until he locked onto the noise. As soon as he got up, the noise stopped. Walking slowly, Link crept up to the plant he had picked out. He stopped in front of it, sure the leaves tensed as he did.

"Come out, Nip, now," Link ordered.

He heard a soft sigh, and the Oddish slowly came up from the ground. "Okay, you found me," he said.

"Yes, now come on," Link said.

The Oddish fell in step behind him as Link led him back to the orphanage. Link glanced back a few times just to make sure the small Pokemon was still following. Heading into the backyard, he turned back to the sullen Nip.

"Now, you'll stay here and not leave, got it?" he asked.

Nip nodded and sat against the building. Link noticed that the Rattata was already sitting against the wall as well. Sallah had already found one of hers.

Link went back to his search. It proved fruitless as he slowly made his way to the center of the village. The square seemed just as busy as before, though Link was able to easily navigate past the crowd. Choosing another street, Link started down it.

"Just two more and I'll have them rounded up," Link murmured, trying to encourage himself.

Link dunked his head as something suddenly hit it from behind. Shaking his head to clear it, he glanced over and saw an eaten apple coming to a stop beside him. Link looked back, but saw no one who appeared to have done it.

Shrugging it off, Link continued on the path. It wasn't long before he was suddenly hit again with another finished apple. Growing irritated, Link whipped around to see who was doing it. Nearby, on top of one of the buildings, Link was sure he saw a hand like appendage attached to a tail dart out of sight.

Knowing it had to be Mon, Link started looking around the area for a way up. Nearby, a stack of large boxes piled against the side of the building. Link leapt up onto the first box, barely making the high jump. By the time Link had leapt up onto the last box, he was panting heavily from the exertion.

After pausing to take a breath, Link leapt up onto the roof of the building. Mon was standing by the edge near the street, looking around for the missing Link. Link approached him and got right behind the confused Aipom before speaking.

"Looking for me?" he asked, making Mon jump.

Mon turned around quickly, his eyes darting around for a possible escape. He sighed and gave up realizing there was no way out. "I don't want to go back there," he complained.

"You still have to," Link replied, leading him to the boxes.

The climb down was much easier, Link making sure to stay right by the Aipom's side. Back on the ground, Link led the Aipom back to the orphanage. Mon sat down in a huff once they came back to the wall where the others were. Link also saw that Sallah had already brought back the blue Pokemon, who had its arms crossed angrily and a pouting face on.

Back on the search, Link wearily started searching the streets again for the last little one, Pika. The Pichu was nowhere to be seen as Link went around the same village. The sun was beginning its descent in the sky as Link plopped down in the square, taking a quick drink for refreshment. While he rested his legs, he kept glancing around in case Pika was nearby.

Nearby, a small crowd of Pokemon was starting to gather, uncommon for this market as far as Link had seen. Curious, Link tilted his head as he concentrated on what they were saying. Soon, Link's higher hearing allowed him to catch snippets of their conversation.

". . . went into the sewers . . ."

". . . said he was hiding . . ."

". . . just a child."

"He was a Pichu."

Link jumped up as he heard the last comment. He stepped up to the first Pokemon in the crowd that he recognized the species of, a tall Lombre. "Excuse me, but what's going on?" he asked.

The Lombre turned to him and scowled, as though offended by him, turning away without an answer. A nearby Pokemon turned to him after seeing what happened. It was a tall, blue Pokemon, a pale colored stomach and chest. Standing high on its two legs with its large, spiked tail, Link was surprised when the Pokemon asked in a quiet, kind voice, "Is something wrong?"

"I was wondering what's going on," he replied.

"Oh, everyone's talking about a young Pichu someone saw go down into the sewers," she answered.

Holding down his excitement, he asked, "Where are the sewers?"

The Pokemon seemed surprised to be asked this, but pointed toward a building. A large hole in the front allowed everyone to see the inside. "The stairs in there lead down there, but you shouldn't go down there. Rumor has it that there is a group of Grimer that attacks anyone who go down there," she warned.

Though Link didn't know what a Grimer was, he knew he had to retrieve Pika, especially if it was dangerous down there. "I have to go and get that Pichu. Thanks for the information," he said, heading quickly to the building.

Inside, small, stone stairs went down into the ground, quickly disappearing into the shadows. Pausing to catch his breath, he started down the stairs, trying to keep himself from slipping off the thin steps. In the square, he could hear the talking becoming more excited and quick as he began his descent.

Link swallowed nervously as he began to head down the stairs that were in shadow. His paw shook slightly as he put it down, making him slip. Link tumbled down the stairs, coming to a stop faster than he thought as he reached the bottom.

Groaning, Link sat up, his body sore from his fall. Looking around, Link was surprised to see that he could actually see. He was in a tunnel, a river separating him from the other side. A ledge on either side allowed one to walk, small sticks burning along the walls at small intervals.

Shivering slightly, Link got up and looked both ways. Both ways turned a corner not long after walking. Unsure which way to go, Link lifted his nose and sniffed the air to find Pika's scent. Link instantly gagged as a horrid smell reached his nose, his eyes starting to water from just the one sniff. Holding his breath, Link looked around again to find the source. However, there was no visible thing creating the smell.

Unsure of what to do, Link was about to head in one of the directions, when a ghostly form appeared in front of him. A small, gray thing floated in midair, a skull like mask over its mask and a container holding fire in the other.

Link screamed and backed up against the wall, his eyes widening as he took in the sudden creature. The ghost seemed to chuckle at his actions. In a low, echoing voice, the ghost said, "Do not be afraid. I will not harm you."

Not knowing if he should believe him, Link glanced around for a possible projectile if he needed it. The path seemed almost swept clean, not a single pebble in sight. "What are you?" Link asked, still crouching away from it. "Are you one of those Grimer?" Link suddenly asked, remembering the warning.

"I am Skull, a Duskull. I watch over the sewers to make sure that all is fine. I have come to see why you have entered," it stated, raising its fire box up a little.

Satisfied with the explanation, Link calmed down and slowed his rapid breathing. "I am Link, and I'm here to find a small Pichu that I think came in here earlier," Link explained.

"Yes, a small, energetic Pichu came down here earlier. He went that way," the Duskull said, pointing to the left, "and was taken in by the Grimer Gang."

"Thank you. I've got to go and get him back," Link said, running down the path.

The Duskull watched him for a moment, before shaking his head and slowly fading out of sight.

Link turned the corner swiftly, only to run face first into a large purple sludge. Link quickly backpedaled out of the sticky stuff, gasping for air only to gag as the now much stronger smell assaulted his breath. After shaking his head and getting over the slight nausea that had come from the intense smell, Link looked back up at what he had run into.

Two piles of purple goo were in front of him. However, as he watched, the two piles turned around and Link saw that they had arms and hands, with large eyes. They stared at Link with anger and mouths suddenly opened from the pile, a strong reek hitting Link right in the face.

Repulsed by the sudden burst of their rancid smell, Link started to back up a step. One of the piles of goo grabbed him up with its arms, holding him in the air while his paws padded at the air uselessly. With no pebbles or other projectiles to use, Link used his only actual attack.

Link closed his eyes and quickly recalled the information that Grace had stored in his head. The information came up as though he had just learned it. Link looked at the purple pile again and growled for a moment to warn it. When it didn't let go, Link bit down onto its arm, trying to make it release its grip.

Link's eyes shot wide open, and he quickly let go of the arm, spitting in disgust from where his tongue had made contact. The horrid taste stayed present in his mouth as the two creatures started taking him farther into the sewers. Unable to do anything else, Link focused on trying to get the revolting taste out of his mouth.

The piles turned and continued through the sewers as though knowing exactly how to go through. As they went down the passages, the water gently running beside them, Link had a good guess that these were actually the Pokemon called Grimer.

Link looked up as they turned to go under an archway. Inside was a huge room, several Grimer were lounging around the walls. Against the opposite side from Link and his captors was a much larger Grimer, its size making the others appear to be tiny. Link gasped as he saw Pika sitting beside it, listening to what it was saying.

The huge Grimer paused midsentence as they entered. Instantly, all the attention was on them as the two Grimer carried Link to the large Grimer and dropped him in front of it. Pika immediately came over and helped him up.

"What is this?" the larger Grimer asked, its voice deep and echoing off the walls.

"It is an intruder, oh honored Muk. It came down and tried to attack us by tackling and biting. After a little subduing, we brought it here for you to cast judgment upon," said the Grimer that had carried him as it bowed slightly.

"I've you not to call me honored; it makes me seem old," Muk said, before turning his sight onto Link. "Well, you seem rather young to be an intruder. Why did you come down to the sewers?" he asked.

"I-I came to get this Pichu. H-he ran off, and I came as s-soon as I heard he came down here," Link said, slightly intimidated by the large Pokemon.

The Muk stayed silent for a moment, staring Link down, before suddenly laughing and hitting Link on the back with one of its large arms. Link grunted and collapsed under the blow, though he was sure it was unintentional by the laughter coming from it. The air knocked from his lungs, Link tried to take a breath in, only to find the air stuffed with the horrid smell from all the Grimer. Link coughed a few times from the air and struggled to take in the air without smelling it.

The Muk looked a little concerned at his coughing, but relaxed as Link calmed down. "You came down here to help your friend when all know that we rule here. You are a good Pokemon and friend," he said, patting Link more gently on the back.

Pika patted Link on the back sympathetically once he had helped Link up again. "He's a little rough, but he's really nice," Pika assured Link.

"Why did you run off, Pika? I've been looking all day for you!" Link exclaimed, turning to him.

Pika lowered his ears and looked down sadly. "I only wanted to have a little fun. We're never allowed out of the orphanage and stuck in the same place all the time. I wanted to explore somewhere, not sit around all day again," Pika said, sounding genuinely reprimanded.

Link sighed, his anger fading. "Let's just get back to the orphanage," Link said.

"But I want to listen to Mr. Muk some more. He's really nice and knows all kinds of awesome stories and moves and has all sorts of fun things to do. Please?" Pika asked.

"I'm sorry little Pichu, but I can't allow you to stay if you're supposed to go," the Muk said calmly.

Before they could continue, one of the Grimer that had brought Link spoke up. "Are you not going to punish this intruder?" it asked.

Muk turned to the Grimer, anger suddenly on its face. "Are you questioning my judgment? I have decided that he may pass. Any Pokemon who willingly goes into a dangerous position for a friend is not an intruder here," he sternly said, making the Grimer shrink back from him.

Pika leaned over and whispered to Link, "Mr. Muk is actually a real softy."

The Muk turned back to Link and patted on the back again. "Yes, you are a courageous Pokemon, so I will give you something for your bravery," he said. He then paused for a while, leaving Link anxious to get out of the smelly room. "I've got it," he suddenly said. "I'll teach you a move. But what move will I teach you?" He paused once again, and Link almost groaned as he continued to have to breathe the polluted air.

"I know! I know!" Pika suddenly exclaimed, waving his arm around. "Tell Link how to do that one move! You know, that one where you go like this and then this," he said, waving his forms and posing a few times.

Link looked at him clueless, but Muk seemed to understand. "Well, I guess I can teach him that. He is an Eevee after all, so he should be able to learn it," Muk said, his gaping mouth lifting at the sides in a large grin. "So, I'll teach you how to use Shadow Ball."

"Shadow Ball?" Link echoed questionably.

"Yes, now sit back, and I'll teach you everything you need to know," Muk said, gently forcing Link to sit with one of his hands.

(0)

Link head was still spinning by the time the two Grimer led him and Pika back to the entrance. After learning the complicated move in such a short time combined with the stench of the place, Link was surprised he was still conscious.

Pika was riding on his back, his light wait not much of a burden for Link. "And so, that's how Mr. Muk became the leader of the Grimer Gang," Pika finished his tale. "But you're still cooler. You used that awesome move like nothing. I bet even General Blaze couldn't use Shadow Ball. You're the coolest Eevee I've ever met."

Link held back a chuckle as he remembered that he was the only Eevee Pika had met. "Just don't go off wandering again. You could get hurt," Link repeated.

"I promise I won't again, but you've got to promise to visit," Pika replied, embracing the back of Link's head.

Link smiled. "I promise."

"I'm going to be just like you someday," Pika promised. "I'm going to go out on epic quests and help Pokemon everywhere," Pika continued, waving his arms in wide gestures.

Laughing at his antics, Link found that they had finally reached the entrance. "Here are the stairs," one of the Grimer announced, not sounding happy at letting them go.

"Bye," Pika and Link replied in unison, though the two Grimer slid away without saying a word.

Shrugging and making Pika hold on for balance, Link turned to the thin steps and headed up, not close as fearful as before. At the top, the crowd was still at the square, even seeming larger. They started to gasp and moved to leave a gap around Link as he came with the Pichu on his back.

"He came out."

"Do you think it could be him?"

"That's impossible . . . isn't it?"

"But Blaze was a Flareon, wasn't he?"

Link lowered his head at the attention and moved to the street leading to the orphanage. Pika, however, waved one arm in the air while holding onto Link with the other as though he was being admired by them all. The crowd followed him a little, before splitting off into small groups to talk. Link gladly left the talk behind and continued on to the orphanage.

Once there, Link walked into the backyard. Pika quickly slipped off his back and went running to the others gathered by the wall and being watched by Sallah. "You guys won't believe what I'm going to tell you!" he exclaimed, instantly getting them riled up.

While Pika distracted them with his tale, Sallah came up to Link. "Thank Arceus you're back. I thought you weren't going to make it," she said.

Surprised, Link glanced up and realized that it was almost sunset. "Oh, I guess I lost track of time," he murmured.

"Hey, Link. You were gone for a while. Was something wrong?" Blitz asked, his three Pokemon all on his back and cheering.

Before they could reply, Aunty opened the back door and said, "Dinner's ready."

In the mass chaos that followed, Link found himself rushed into the kitchen and set down at the table. Dazed, Link didn't notice Blue come up until Blue latched onto his tail. "Blue!" Link exclaimed, turning to embrace the small dragon.

"Link!" Blue eagerly replied, rubbing against him happily.

Link froze in the embrace, suddenly remembering that Blue would be staying. He was going to have to leave Blue here while he went on. After Blue let go, Link turned back to the table. He ate his food gloomily and really tasting it, only able to think about what would come next.


	12. The Tribe of Flames

**Author's Note:** Well, the action's starting to go up again as the story goes on. Hope you enjoy this chapter!-EeveeInHeat

**The Legend of Vulpix: Leaf of Time**

- **Chapter 12: The Tribe of Flames** -

Link looked down at the empty table again, knowing the dinner was finally over. Sighing as Blitz and Sallah got up, they followed Aunty to the front door. Turning, he looked at Blue, who immediately came forward and hugged him, saying, "Link."

After a few seconds, Link pulled away from the embrace and looked the small blue Pokemon right in his eyes. "Okay, Blue, this is where we part. You're staying here," Link said, his throat beginning to close.

Instead of tilting his head like normal, Blue just looked down sadly, as though he understood. Seeing his friend like this made it all the harder, and Link felt his throat constrict as he held back a sob. His eyes began to water, the emotions starting to get the best of him.

"You stay good, okay?" Link said.

To his astonishment, Blue actually nodded in response. "Link," he said, hugging Link again.

When they parted again, Pika walked around from behind Aunty. "I'll take care of him," he promised, putting a paw on the larger Blue's back. "I'll make sure he grows big and strong," Pika continued, his chest puffing out some.

Link nodded in gratitude, though he wasn't sure if it was the best idea. Link managed to utter, "Bye," before he turned with the others and started down the path.

Sallah patted his back sympathetically. "We can come and see him again later," she encouraged.

Link smiled. "Thanks, Sallah," he said, his mood lifted some.

"So, where are we going now?" Blitz asked.

"To . . . Muerte Mountain," Link said. "Luna said we should see it from here."

He looked up with the others. The advice was confirmed as Link saw a tall mountain with a ring of clouds around it surrounded by other mountains.

"I hope this path leads all the way there," Link said, looking at the path they were following.

Soon, they were leaving behind the buildings of Rayese Village. The path wound down around the mountains on either side as it continued in the general direction of their destination. The mountains had looked big from afar, but were much larger when up close, only a few hundred feet on either side of the path.

It wasn't long before the sun started to set, the sky starting to darken. The small group of three found a nice spot near the road and nested for the night. As Link closed his eyes, he hoped he would be able to see Blue again soon.

(0)

Link was the first to wake, though after dawn with the sunlight blocked by the mountains. While he waited for the others, Link looked back at the village, entertaining the thought that he might see the orphanage from there.

Soon, Sallah and Blitz awoke, and they started down the path again. With no clouds in the sky, Link was able to be sure which one was Muerte Mountain with the cloud ring around the peak. The mountain was slightly larger than the others, but was not too far from them. By midafternoon, they rounded a turn and found the path led straight to Muerte Mountain, even going slightly up it. From here, the path sloped upward toward the mountain, though they couldn't see where it ended.

"So, where is this fire tribe supposed to be?" Blitz asked, glancing around as they continued.

"All we know is that it's near the mountain," Sallah explained.

As they continued, the path slowly sloped more as the ground rose toward Muerte Mountain. It wasn't long before Sallah was starting to huff as they went, her legs much shorter than the others. Each of her steps soon became small hops to keep up.

"Do you need some help?" Link asked as they paused for her to catch up.

Sallah muttered something, but they didn't hear her. She was panting heavily when she came up to them, immediately sitting to catch her breath.

"I could carry you," Blitz offered, lying down beside her.

Sallah looked at him for a moment, before finally nodding. "Thanks," she said, hopping onto his back.

"No problem," Blitz said, standing up.

Sallah's weight didn't slow Blitz at all as they started down the path again, Link trying hard not to laugh at Sallah's problem. The area around them became rockier and rockier as they went, Muerte Mountain coming ever closer.

Finally, they were at the beginning of the mountain, though they were much higher than before. From here, they could see the path led up to a small plateau before it continued up to a small opening in the side of the mountain. The opening was large enough for most Pokemon Link knew to fit inside.

The slope became tougher as they went up with nowhere else to go. The path became indistinguishable from the ground, but with steep drops on either side guiding them still. Link found himself growing quickly tired from the hike upward. By the time they reached the flat plateau, even Blitz was starting to pant from their trek.

"We'll rest here a moment," Link proclaimed, stretching out on the ground as he tried to catch his breath. Blitz nodded and laid down, allowing Sallah to get off as they rested.

Once they had rested enough to go on, they started to the upward path again, Sallah on Blitz's back once more. The climb up was just as hard as before, and Link continued marking their progress with the cave entrance wanting it all to end.

Not soon enough, they finally reached the cave mouth and almost just flopped down in exhaustion. However, curiosity found them looking in the cave. They were all surprised when they saw the inside lit by the small sticks on fire Link had seen in the sewers lining the walls. A short tunnel led into what appeared to be a room, though they weren't sure.

"Are we going in?" Link asked, his tired state forgotten.

"Let's go," Sallah said, pointing forward from Blitz's back. While Link was sure she could walk, Blitz didn't seem to mind her weight at all.

Link went first into the large tunnel, wondering if there was another Duskull nearby with all the fire sticks. They exited the tunnel to find themselves in a large chamber. Egg shaped, the flat bottom room had walls that went up and slowly met at the rounded top. Various tunnels led from here to there, several high up with ledges to get to them. In the chamber, two large Pokemon were arguing, but stopped as soon as they saw the newcomers.

"Who are you?" one asked. The Pokemon was larger than Blitz majorly and had an orange body with a long tail ending in a flame. It had a pair of wings that pulled partially behind its back while not in flight.

"I-I'm Link," Link said, intimidated by the large Pokemon. "Is this the fire tribe?"

"This is the Tribe of Flames. What do you need?" it continued.

"We need to see Rhy," Link answered quickly.

The other Pokemon chuckled. It was almost Link's size with the large, black shell on its back. Its body was mostly hidden by it, except for its four legs and its neck and head. The Pokemon's eyes were closed, but it still seemed to be seeing them. Smoke slowly came from its back and nostrils. "And why would he want to see you?" it asked.

Link paused, unsure of what to say. "Umm, because it's important," Link finally said.

Still chuckling, the Pokemon shook its head and turned away. "I'll go ask him. Maybe he'll be in a good enough mood to allow you an audience." It disappeared down one tunnel at a slow pace, leaving Link's group with the large Pokemon.

The Pokemon stayed silent, watching them. Finally, Link couldn't hold himself in any longer. "Uh, sir? What Pokemon are you?"

The large Pokemon burst out laughing, though it was a booming one making Link have to cover his ears. "I am a Charizard. The name's Char," he said.

"I'm Sallah, and this is Blitz," Sallah introduced.

Char paused, before saying, "You are an Eevee, right?" When Link nodded, he continued, "So, are you here to become a Flareon like the great General Blaze?"

"No, but did you know this General Blaze?" Link asked.

"I was just a young Charmander when he came here to evolve," Char said, his eyes growing distant with memories. "He was powerful, level headed, and fair. The tribe even offered him a spot and a possible chance at being leader, but he turned it down since he already served some king."

"He sounds popular," Link commented.

Before they could continue, the other Pokemon came back, his steps still slow. Finally, he reached them once again. "Rhy says he will talk to you, though I don't know why," it said, before turning to the tunnel again.

Link and Blitz followed the slow Pokemon, Link soon becoming impatient. Eventually, the tunnel ended at a wall. Link paused, unsure why they were here, when the Pokemon slowly raised a foot and tapped repeated on the rock wall dead end. There was an echoing silence for a few seconds before the wall in front of them began to shake.

Link watched in amazement as the wall moved away, revealing how it was actually a large rock blocking the entrance. The Pokemon pushing the rock aside was actually impressive itself. A large, gray Pokemon, it stood on two massive legs with a large tail balancing it. Its armor like skin covered all, but its sand colored stomach. What caught Link's eye, though, was the large, sharp tipped horn on top of its head.

Its muscles bulged as it finished moving the rock out of the way. "Come in, come in," it said in its deep voice, moving to the side.

Link walked in behind their slow guide, taking in the new chamber. It looked like a chiseled out room for the Pokemon inside, appearing to be its entire den. Once inside, the Pokemon shut the entrance and motioned for them to sit.

"Now, who are you three who seek my time?" it asked, crossing its arms.

"I am Link, and this is Blitz and Sallah," Link introduced.

"I am Rhy, leader of the Tribe of Flames," he introduced. "What is your purpose in coming here?"

"I have come from Princess Vulpix to find the three eternal stones and bring them to her to stop a Pokemon from trying to take power," Link started. "We heard that your tribe holds the Eternal Fire Stone. Could you please give it to us?"

Rhy instantly glared at Link. "You come in here and just want our stone for nothing?" he asked, though his voice was still calm.

Link swallowed nervously and nodded. "Princess Vulpix sent me," he said.

Rhy's expression didn't change. "We do not serve the king of Hyrule. We are our own tribe, and owe no allegiance to them. We will not give something so precious away for no reason, no matter how many of you come."

Link looked down at his feet as he lost hope, his ears drooping. However, Sallah spoke up, "Who else came here?"

"A Pokemon by the name of Zoron," Rhy replied, getting a gasp from Link and Sallah. "The arrogant Lucario came and demanded the Eternal Fire Stone, just like you."

"Zoron came here? That's not good," Link muttered.

Rhy frowned at this reaction. "Why is that?"

"Zoron is the Pokemon trying to take over Hyrule," Link explained.

"I wouldn't doubt that," Rhy replied.

"So you'll give us the stone?" Link asked hopefully.

"No," Rhy replied, glaring once again.

"Do you _want_ Zoron to take over Hyrule?" Link asked.

"Hyrule is not my problem; I've got enough of those myself," Rhy muttered.

"What's wrong here?" Link asked.

"On top of being a leader of several Pokemon, I've got a berserk Pokemon stopping us from gathering the berries in the sunlit cavern. With our food slowly dwindling, and the rest of us needing to send out gathering parties into the valleys, we're starting to weaken. I cannot help you on your little quest," Rhy said.

_Berserk? Maybe it's the work of Zoron, _Link thought."A berserk Pokemon? Where is it?" Link asked.

Rhy bellowed out a laugh. "Why, do you want to fight it?" he asked, still laughing.

Link nodded seriously, making Rhy stop. "I believe the Pokemon is under the control of Zoron. I don't know how, but he seems to somehow confuse Pokemon to make them attack others."

"And you want to battle it? Fine, go battle your hearts out. Tork, take them to the cavern it's been staying in," Rhy ordered.

"Thank you, Rhy," Link said, before getting up.

Rhy nodded and moved the rock aside again. Tork led them out into the tunnel. With one last, loud movement, Rhy closed the entrance once more. Tork headed down the tunnel slowly, Link and Blitz able to easily keep up, though Sallah stayed on Blitz's back still.

Impatient with their speed, Link asked, "Uh, Tork? What species are you and Rhy?"

The Pokemon smiled kindly, though it made him look old for some reason. "I am a Torkoal, while our leader Rhy is a Rhydon. You haven't been out much, have you?" he asked. Link shook his head.

"Wait; I thought Rhydon weren't fire types," Blitz commented. "Why would he be the leader of your tribe?"

"If a Pokemon proves his strength and courage, with a loyalty toward the tribe, we offer them a spot in the tribe. Once part of the tribe, anyone can rise to a place of leadership, which is what Rhy did," Tork explained.

"I heard General Blaze was offered a position like that," Link replied. "Did you know him?"

"Yes, we offer to few, but he was one. He was a general for the king in Hyrule. He came here to evolve into a Flareon. When he proved his strength and bravery, we offered him a position. However, he refused and stayed loyal to his king, a decision I respect," Tork said.

They continued down the tunnel until they came into the big cavern again. From there, Tork led them into another tunnel, this one twisting and turning much more often. They continued following Tork for a while, before Link broke the silence again.

"Where are we going?" Link asked, looking around at the flame lit tunnel.

"We are going to the cavern before the sunlit cavern. Sunlit cavern is where our special berries grow, with enough to sustain our whole tribe and then some. We used to use the cavern before it as a place to gather berries we picked, so we lost a store of food when the Pokemon went berserk," Tork stated.

"Why hasn't a Pokemon taken care of it?" Sallah asked from her perch.

Tork shook his head. "We do not have too many fighters. Rhy could take it down, but he must keep the tribe in order during this time. If he got hurt, the tribe could panic," Tork explained.

"Are we almost there?" Link complained, tired of Tork's slow walk.

Tork opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a loud boom as something large crashed nearby. "There's your answer."


	13. Stop, Drop, and Roll

**Author's Note:** No! I got this all finished on the correct day this week, typing for three straight hours, only to find that my connection was failing by the time I got done. Now after two whole days of waiting, I finally got to go to the library. Oh well, time for more action! See how many of you can guess the Pokemon before Link can find out. Also, this chapter marks the end of the first four chapters of the manga. Eleven more chapters to go!-EeveeInHeat

**The Legend of Vulpix: Leaf of Time**

- **Chapter 13: Stop, Drop, and Roll** -

"You'll need to turn this corner, and you'll be in the cavern. This is where I'll leave you," Tork said, turning to go.

"O-okay," Link said nervously, wondering what the sound was.

Link took a deep breath before padding up to the turn. Slowly, Link turned around the corner, entering a cavern. The cavern was large, with several rocks protruding out of the ground all along the field, most higher than Link and blocking most of the view. On the other side of the cavern was another entrance to a tunnel.

As they entered, their ears were assaulted by a grinding sound that seemed to come from everywhere with its echoing. Link looked around, but couldn't see what was making the sound, especially with the little light from the few fire sticks. Slowly, they headed deeper into the room.

Link jumped a foot in the air when a loud crashing sounded behind them. Flipping around, Link saw that one of the rocks protruding from the ground had burst apart from something ramming into it. The thing looked somewhat like a dark gray rock slightly larger than Blitz that was spinning rapidly, two short things sticking out of the sides and making small circles with its spins.

The thing bounced off the ground before making a wide turn toward them. Link stared at the thing, frozen for a second, before yelling, "Run!"

He turned and ran as fast as he could without ramming into the all the rock obstacles. Before he knew it, he was before the entrance into the other tunnel. Stopping just inside, Link looked back. Blitz was still running around the rocks with Sallah hanging tightly to his back, a small cloud being thrown up as the spinning rock chased them.

"This way," Link called out.

Blitz started heading his way, the spinning rock turning with him. As soon as Blitz got close, Link prepared a Shadow Ball, the small shadowy sphere forming near his slightly open mouth as he poured energy into it. Once Blitz passed him, he let the sphere go sailing toward the spinning rock. The attack hit it right on as it continued, throwing up a large cloud of dust.

Link sighed and glanced back to see Blitz had continued running into the tunnel. Once the sound of the explosion ended, Link snapped his head back toward the cavern as he heard the grinding of the spinning thing still coming.

The cloud blew away as the object came spinning out toward him, not slowed a little. Link quickly dashed down the tunnel as the rolling thing followed him. As he ran, Link glanced back only to see the thing slowly gaining on him. Panting hard, he tried to run faster, but failed.

Suddenly, a fork in the tunnel came, the two entrances looking the same. His eyes darting between the two rapidly, Link finally dived to the right and headed down the tunnel. The grinding was still behind him, though he didn't look back again. His lungs were burning now as he went, his legs feeling as though they were about to give way, but he kept on, hoping that a way out would appear soon.

The sound of the rolling thing grew louder as it got closer to him. Knowing he would be hit anytime soon, he leapt as high as he could so he wouldn't be squished under it. However, the thing was large enough to still hit him at the apex of his exhausted jump. Link was thrown slightly higher before falling heavily on the ground from the hard impact of the thing.

Link got up shakily, both exhausted and sore. His legs were quivering a little as he looked down the tunnel. The object was still spinning down the tunnel, though it was slowing down. Suddenly, it stopped for a second before reversing its trail and heading toward him again, picking up the original speed almost instantly.

Not about to give up, Link quickly formed another Shadow Ball and shot it at the spinning sphere. The powerful attack hit it and exploded, only to do nothing but throw up a little dust. The thing continued on its way toward Link, getting closer by the second as it prepared to mow him down.

Gasping for breath, Link glanced around for a possible way out. The few fire sticks spaced out along the tunnel provided little light, making him almost miss the tunnel entrances to either side of him. Link quickly dived into the one on the right, wind whipping past him as the thing continued down the original tunnel. Link let out a sigh as he realized the thing quickly turn easily in the thin tunnel.

Wanting to put some distance between them, Link turned and headed down the new tunnel, not really knowing where he was going. By the time he reached the end, his legs were barely holding him up. He sat down quickly and looked into the cavern he had reached.

Inside the cavern, natural light flooded in from a few holes along one wall, illuminating the entire cavern besides the hidden ceiling high above. The light showed how the day was about to end. The cavern was much larger than the one they had been in, though this one had only the single entrance and had small bushes instead of rocks protrusions all along the ground, large fruit growing on them.

Link's mouth immediately started to water as he saw the large berries everywhere. His stomach growling, Link found the energy to get up, slowly padding over to the first of the bushes. The berries were large and covered in several hues of blue with a few green leaves growing on top. Though Link didn't recognize them, his stomach had already convinced him of their perfect taste.

His exhaustion forgotten, Link snipped off a few of the blue berries. Link ate quickly, the taste intensified with his hunger. After filling his stomach, Link rolled over onto his back in a patch of the sunlight, enjoying his filling meal. He closed his eyes as he rested, his tail swishing a little behind him.

Link's eyes shot open as he remembered Sallah and Blitz. Where were they? Had the rolling thing found them? Link sat up, sighing as his muscles protested the sudden movement. He paused as he remembered the rolling thing.

Was it some sort of Pokemon? No matter what, he needed some way to defeat it. Most likely, the thing had an outer armor that had stopped his attack, the spinning only adding to it. If he could get past it, he might be able to damage it. Link got up and started padding toward the entrance again, still wondering how he would get past that outer armor.

Link paused as he heard something above him. Glancing up, he saw several small Pokemon flying around above him, though the real number was hidden with all their mixing. As they slowly swooped lower, Link was able to better see them. The Pokemon were blue, their two wings having purple skins. They appeared to have no eyes, instead having overly large mouth with two sets of fangs.

Link jumped back as one suddenly dived at him, pulling up as he moved out of the way. Still tired, he was barely able to dodge the repeated dives they made. Finally, he grew impatient and shot a Shadow Ball up at them. The blast hit two of the Pokemon, making them almost fall out of the sky, while the others were pushed away by the shockwave.

Seeing their target was able to fight back, the Pokemon fluttered away upward to the shadowed ceiling again. Link was panting as he watched them leave, the meeting taking the rest he had gained. As Link wondered if the Pokemon were under control of Zoron like the ones back in the forest, the cavern grew quiet once more as the Pokemon landed somewhere above and the fluttering ended.

Link's ears perked as the silence was once again broken. Growing ever louder, Link could hear a low grinding sound. After a second, Link realized what it was and tensed. Glancing down the tunnel, he saw that the rolling thing was indeed coming toward the cavern having somehow turned into the tunnel.

Tired, Link charged another Shadow Ball and shot the dark purple mass at it. Like before, the outer armor simply plowed through the attack. Still catching his breath, he was unable to move out of the way. The thing rammed into Link, throwing him to the side as it continued on past.

Link landed on the ground hard, closing his eyes for a moment as he recovered from the sudden attack. Slowly, he got back up, looking around to see the thing rolling between the bushes until it could make its long sweep as it turned around. Link tried to power up another Shadow Ball, but still hadn't recovered enough to make one.

Ideas raced through his mind about what else he could do. He couldn't exactly bite the thing unless he wanted to be pummeled. He could flick some of the rocks scattered about, but they certainly didn't compare to his more powerful Shadow Ball which did nothing at the moment. What could he do?

Still breathing heavily, Link jumped to the side as the thing rolled past again, his face still being slapped by the thing coming out of the side. The rolling thing continued, slowly turning as it went along in order to attack him again.

Link was still unable to think about anything as the thing started coming toward him again. Finally, Link just chose to run, going straight for the only exit. However, his tired legs couldn't go as fast as before and the thing rammed into him again, throwing him into the air a few feet from the entrance.

Link fell to the ground, groaning in pain. By the time Link gathered the energy to get up, the rolling thing had already turned around, now running parallel with the wall as it came toward him. Though the entrance was only a few feet away, his legs refused to move at the moment, which made even that slight distance closer to the rolling thing that much more dangerous.

Panting, Link half shut his eyes as he waited for the thing to hit him. Bracing himself, he mentally started counting down the moment to impact. His eyes almost closed, Link almost missed what happened next as the thing came past the exit tunnel. The thing was thrown far into the air as something rammed into it from the tunnel. The thing uncurled midair, falling heavily to the ground from the sudden attack.

Now lying in a heap, Link saw that the thing actually was a Pokemon. With four short legs, the light gray skinned Pokemon had two, large, white tusks. A dark gray ridge covering its back with its long snout being part of it was what Link had seen while it was curled up. The two things he had seen coming out of the side were two long ears for the strange Pokemon.

Link turned his head to see what had been so powerful to throw it far into the cavern. He gasped as he saw the blue form, a small yellow thing hanging onto its head; a Bagon with a Pichu on his head. The strange duo was Blue and Pika.

As soon as Blue had landed back on his feet, Pika jumped off Blue's head and ran over to Link. "Are you alright, Link?" he asked.

"What are you doing here, Pika?" Link asked, confused.

"Link!" Blue exclaimed, coming up to embrace him tightly.

Link opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a grunting. Pulling out of Blue's powerful hug, he looked over at the recovering Pokemon. It was slowly getting up, its now open eyes confirming that it was under the control of something.

"Do you think three little Pokemon are enough to defeat me? I will deal with you quickly and go back to blocking the others. With no food, the Tribe of Flames will soon dwindle," it said, laughing.

It was now fully up, its long snout waving in the air as it pawed the ground. Knowing it was about to roll again, Link quickly charged up a Shadow Ball. After a second of concentrating, he sent one sailing toward the Pokemon as it prepared to charge. The attack hit it on the chest, exploding and throwing it onto through the air and onto its back.

Link gasped for air, the attack taking too much out of him to make another. "Wow," Pika murmured, gazing at Link in wonder.

The Pokemon they were fighting grunted before slowly getting up again. Link tensed, but relaxed as he saw the confused look on its face, the change evident in its eyes. The Pokemon looked around in confusion before it finally noticed the others. "What happened?" it asked.

Pika gasped at its reaction, opening his mouth to say something.

"I believe you were taken under control of another Pokemon. What is the last thing you remember?" Link asked, cutting Pika off.

It looked startled before it started thinking. "Well . . . I was walking and then . . . something black was nearby, before I blacked out," it slowly explained.

"According to the Tribe of Flames, you've been blocking off access to the sunlit cavern. Let's go back. I'll help you explain everything to them," Link said, tipping his head slightly.

"I-I have? Oh, my . . . I-I never meant to do anything," it said.

"I'm sure they'll understand," Link replied.

It sighed, but nodded. "I guess I better go, then," it said, coming up to them.

Link sighed, sitting down as his legs grew too tired. Now he would have to go all the way back to the first cave. He wasn't sure his legs were up for it.

"I can carry you," it offered, leaning down a little. "It's the least I can do for your promise to help."

"Thank you," Link said, working up the energy to climb onto its back.

"Wow, you're really different when you're not under another Pokemon's control," Pika commented, climbing aboard its back by his own invitation and sitting right in front of Link. Blue, unable to pull himself up, walked alongside the Pokemon as it began walking into the tunnel.

"That reminds me, what are you doing here, Pika?" Link asked.

"We came to rescue you," Pika dramatically said, shooting an arm forward.

Link sighed. "You were not supposed to leave the orphanage, Pika," Link replied.

"But Blue said you needed our help," Pika retorted, looking back at him.

"Blue can only say 'Link'," Link said, glancing down at Blue.

"Link," Blue said, as though agreeing.

"Yeah, but Blue says Link differently to say different things," Pika explained.

"And you can understand him?" Link asked, not convinced.

"Of course," Pika relied, getting his chest with a paw.

"Link," Blue said.

"See? He just said I shouldn't boast," Pika said, pausing at the end. "Hey!"

Link was still unsure, but let it go. "I'm going to have to take you back to the orphanage. Aunty is probably really worried," he said.

Pika's ears lowered. "But we helped, right? I thought we could come with you if we helped," Pika whined. Link didn't reply as they were now crossing the rock protrusion cavern. Coming to the other side of the room, they reached the other tunnel. "Where are Sallah and Blitz?" Pika suddenly asked.

"Oh! They're probably still in the tunnels back there somewhere," Link said, looking back.

They all stopped as they heard something coming from further down the tunnel. Someone was muttering to themself as they walked. Turning the corner, they saw a small Pokemon coming toward them. With the weak light, it was a while before they were able to see that it was none other than Sallah.

"Sallah!" Link called, getting her attention.

"Huh? Li- Ah!" she exclaimed, suddenly seeing the Pokemon they were riding. She started to slowly back up, ready to run.

"He's a good guy!" Link said, stopping her.

Sallah slowly came forward, not fully convinced. "Wait, what are that Bagon and that Pichu doing here?" she asked, finally reaching them.

"His name is Blue!" Link immediately countered, knowing she had recognized him. Finishing his rant, Link continued, "They ran from the orphanage to come help. We're going to have to take them back."

"Oh, i-is this the rolling thing?" Sallah asked.

"I regretfully admit that I am," the Pokemon replied, bowing his head in shame.

"We need to go tell the tribe. Is Blitz already out?" Link asked.

"Yes," Sallah replied as they started walking again. Strangely, she didn't say anything else as they went back to the main entrance to the structure.

As they came into the cavern, they were met by a group of Pokemon. Rhy, Char, and Tork were there, along with another Torkoal, who all jumped as they appeared. Blitz was also there, jumping up in surprise when he saw Link.

"You!" Rhy exclaimed, pointing at Link's carrier as he approached.

"Wait," Link said, stopping them. "He was under the control of someone else, who I believe to be the Lucario, Zoron. While he has no memory of his deeds, he is truly sorry for what he's done."

"I am. I will do anything I can to repay you," it said, bowing his head again.

Rhy paused, unsure of what to say. "Since you were the one to stop him, I will believe you, Link. We will not punish you, Donphan. Also, for you, Link; while Zoron left after being refused, you stayed and helped us, possible saving our tribe. You took down the Donphan that was blocking us without being even asked. For your selfless deed, we humbly offer you a rank in the tribe. Will you accept?"

Link sat on the Donphan, stunned. After a few seconds, he shook his head and answered. "No, I am on a quest to help Hyrule right now. Princess Vulpix is counting on me to help her, and I cannot abandon it for this," he said, getting an admired glance from Tork.

Rhy bowed his head. "That is very honorable of you, young Link. You have now shown yourself to be even more worthy of a position here, though we will not push you. However, there is still something we can give you for your service. I believe you came here to attain a certain Eternal Fire Stone?" Rhy asked.

Link vigorously nodded his head, his tail wagging behind him.

Rhy chuckled at Link's reaction. "For your help, I will give you the Eternal Fire Stone and hope that it will help you on your quest," he said. Char stepped up to him and handed him something. "Here you go, the Eternal Fire Stone," Rhy said, opening his hand in front of Link.

Link stared at the almost shining object. The stone had a frozen, red and yellow flame in the center of it. The rest was like a soft, red liquid flowing around it, almost appearing as though it was actually moving. Like the Eternal Leaf Stone, it had a golden circuit circling down around its sides.

Once again amazed at the sacred item, Link slowly reached forward to pick it up.

"WAIT!" Sallah shouted, getting everyone's attention. "If you touch it, you'll evolve, Link," she said, hopping up beside him. "Let me." She picked it up and slipped it into his pouch carefully. "There," she said, patting the flap down.

"Thanks, Sallah," Link said, hopping off the Donphan. Sallah hopped down beside him, but didn't exactly look happy. Before he could ask her, Rhy spoke up again.

"Now, with access to the sunlit cavern again, would you like to join our celebratory feast? We can provide a place for you to stay the night," Rhy said.

"Yes," Link said instantly, his tail wagging again at the thought of food and rest.

Rhy paused. "If only we had some sort of entertainment. A feast always goes well with music," he said.

"I have a Leaf," Link said, pulling Rose's Leaf down to play a few notes.

"I can keep a steady beat," Blitz added, tapping his hooves a little.

"Link," Blue added, before cooing a little.

Rhy laughed and nodded. "Aye, that will certainly do. Now, I've got to get a few gathering parties to go and get the food. The day's almost gone after all," he said, turning around.

Though Link was exhausted, he felt exhilarated by the thought of food galore, with music and rest to top it all off. His tail wagging, he eagerly followed the others to the feasting room, Sallah's strange behavior pushed to the back of his mind.


	14. Folk Ranch

**Author's Note: **Time for the story to go along! . . . Not much else to say besides I hope my connection comes back soon. I dislike library computers (not their books mind you, their computers). -EeveeInHeat

**The Legend of Vulpix: Leaf of Time**

- **Chapter 14: Folk Ranch** -

"What do you mean, he was stopped?" he asked, not turning around to face his subject.

"Well, an Eevee came and stopped him. The Eevee was also after the Eternal Fire Stone," the trembling Sableye said.

The Sableye's master paused for a minute, considering this new turn. "So he now has two of them," he murmured to himself. "Well he'll obviously go for the third. . . . Yes, I think I'll just turn this to my advantage." The Sableye shook as his master let out a bone chilling chuckle. "Yes, this will work out nicely. Go and continue as planned," he said, waving a clawed hand at the Sableye.

"W-what about . . . him?" the Sableye asked hesitantly.

"Oh, he'll be along soon. Just go about your work," he said, ending the conversation.

The Sableye bowed slightly before backing out, half worried his master might be hiding his anger and hit him as he turned. Reaching the doorway, the Sableye quickly slipped out, leaving his master alone once more.

The dark figure looked out the small peephole he had made in the wall. About a story below, a few Pokemon were walking along the courtyard, most of them Watchog. He smiled widely as he thought about what it would look like when he finished his plan. _And yet, none of them will see it coming,_ he thought, chuckling again.

(0)

The buildings of Rayese Village were soon in sight. Pika visibly slouched as he noticed from on top of his perch on Link. Somehow, Link had ended up carrying Pika, while also leading Blue with his tail. Blitz as trotting along beside him, while Sallah was lagging slightly behind them all.

"Do we have to go back to the orphanage?" Pika asked once again.

"Yes. You were not supposed to leave it. You said you would stay there," Link reminded.

"Yeah, but Blue said you needed help. Besides, I'm going to be a great hero like you one day," Pika protested, throwing an arm into the air.

The comment brought a small smile to Link's face, but he kept going. "Well from now on, stay in the orphanage, okay?" Link prompted.

Pika slouched a little more, but replied, "Okay, Link."

"Link," Blue added, though Link didn't know what he said.

Without having a large hill to climb, they made much better time than when they had gone to the Tribe of Flames. The sun was just reaching its apex as they entered the beginning of the small village. As they approached the orphanage, they saw Aunty the Kangaskhan outside the front, looking around worriedly.

"Aunty," Link called out, getting her attention.

Aunty looked over and visibly sighed when she saw the two runaways. "Where have you two been?" she asked as they reached her.

Blue let go of Link's tail and hung his head. Pika jumped off of Link's back and puffed out his chest, though. "We helped Link," he said proudly.

"I was really worried about you guys," Aunty said sternly, "You were not supposed to leave the orphanage."

Pika let his chest drop, realizing his mistake. "I-I'm sorry," he murmured, looking down at his feet.

Aunty sighed, reaching down to pick the two up in each arm, even with Blue's heavier weight. "Just never do that again," she reprimanded. Turning back to the group, she added, "Thank you so much for bringing them back. I'll keep a closer watch on them this time."

"You're welcome," Link replied, nodding his head.

"I wish I had something to give you guys for this," Aunty said.

"No, it's okay. Unless you know about the Eternal Water Stone," Link added, remembering their next target.

"Uh, Eternal Water Stone? I'm sorry, but I've never heard of something like that," Aunty said.

"Well, we've got to be on our ways then," Link said.

"Thank you once again," Aunty said, going back into the orphanage.

"So, where should we look for the Eternal Water Stone?" Link asked Blitz and Sallah.

Sallah didn't answer, while Blitz shook his head slightly. After a second, Blitz said, "We could head back toward the Folk Ranch. We could search along the way and then visit the others at my ranch."

"Okay. I want to visit Tao and Falon again anyway," Link agreed. "But . . . I don't know the way," he added.

"I know how to get there. I lived there after all," Blitz said, starting down the path out of town.

"Great," Link replied, following right behind. He paused to look back, but was relieved when he saw Sallah following. Usually she would have said something by now. In fact, she hadn't said anything since the Tribe of Flames. "Are you okay, Sallah?" Link asked.

She glanced up for a second, but returned her gaze to her feet as she walked. "Y-yeah," she halfheartedly replied. Link knew she wasn't okay, but didn't push it. It something was really wrong, Sallah would tell him like always.

"So, how far is the ranch?" Link asked, turning back to Blitz.

"Well, at our walking pace and going straight there . . . about two days," Blitz finally said.

"It's good you remembered the grab some of the food from the feast as provisions," Link said.

After getting a bag for himself, Blitz had gathered a couple days of provisions worth of berries during the meal the Tribe of Fire had set up. The bag hung bulging against Blitz's side. "Well I was probably going to be the only one who got any, especially since we have no rupees," Blitz replied.

Link grinned, remembering the time when they left the forest, the time they gone into the market, and the time when they left the castle.

The small group of three headed down the path as it slowly led away from the town back toward the bridge. Unlike last time, there was no Pokemon blocking the bridge. After slowly creeping over the bridge and finding no opposition, Blitz started leading them southward into the large grassland once again.

It wasn't long before the sun was starting to set, bathing the sky in different hues. Tired from all their walking, they stopped and had a small dinner made of berries. As he ate, Link once again noted Sallah's strange silence.

Finishing up their dinner, they laid down for the night, the tall grass making a comfortable enough bed. Wondering where he would end up next, Link slowly fell asleep.

(0)

Link could feel something soft near him. Struggling to open his eyes, he found his vision horribly cloudy. Against him, he saw what he supposed was a soft purple, almost pink, pelt rising and falling quickly. Suddenly, a head like protrusion appeared and picked him up by his neck scruff. Instinctively, he fell limp and allowed the Pokemon to carry him.

Wind suddenly whipped around him as the Pokemon began running. Slowly, the light around them faded as they went away from it. Link couldn't help but let out a small whimper as he felt a strong feeling of fear coming off of the Pokemon and thunder clapped overhead, lighting up the area for a second. The Pokemon continued running, keeping him just off the ground as it headed somewhere.

Finally, it came to a rest, putting him down on some grass. His eyes would barely open, and his vision was still blurry, but he still saw some Pokemon appear nearby. After a few seconds, it came closer to him and nuzzled him a little. All Link could see was some green and white, leaving the Pokemon a mystery.

Trying his hardest, Link struggled to get his eyes open some more. Finally, the Pokemon came into focus a little more. Link mentally gasped as he thought he saw Grace above him.

"Grace!" Link exclaimed, his eyes opening fully. Link sat up quickly, his heart beating rapidly, and looked around in confusion. It was all just a dream. _Was that the dream I was having back in the forest?_ Link wondered.

"Is something wrong?" Blitz asked nearby, yawning afterward as he got up.

"It was just a dream," Link murmured, partly to himself. For some reason, Grace had been in it, though. _Don't worry, Grace; I have the Eternal Leaf and Fire Stones. I'll get the Eternal Water Stone . . . even though I don't know where it is._

Link smiled as he heard Grace's words echo in his mind. _I believe in you, Link._

"Well, we should be there soon," Blitz said, stretching slightly.

His thoughts leaving the stones, Link quickly got up as well and stretched. "Let's go," he said.

Blitz nodded and started across the grassland again. Glancing back to make sure Sallah was following, Link trailed after the Blitzle. After traveling all day yesterday in the never changing landscape, Blitz had announced that they would be there today. The thought of something besides grass put a spring in Link's step as they went.

Soon, Link could see something different on the horizon. Excitement found its way to both Link's and Blitz's feet as they started to go faster. They were almost running by the time they reached the first large building of the ranch.

The ranch appeared to be rather large. A fence went out into the distance from either side of the few buildings in the middle, going far from out of sight. In the section they had arrived at, there were four large buildings all made of wood, though Link didn't see any trees they could have used to build them.

"It seems everyone is still asleep here," Blitz commented, walking up to the first building.

Suddenly, the doorway was filled as a Pokemon appeared. The Pokemon was small and brown, a few pale rings on its stomach. It had long, black ears with a rather long tail that was striped with two different brown hues. The Pokemon was a Sentret.

"Blitz!" it exclaimed, jumping up and hugging Blitz's neck. As it let go, it fell back onto its tail, keeping it high off the ground. "I was wondering when you'd be back."

"It's good to see you, too, Malon," Blitz said, laughing at her sudden greeting.

Malon gasped as she looked past the Blitzle. "Visitors!" she exclaimed, bouncing up slightly off her tail. "We haven't had visitors in such a long time! Hello, I'm Malon," the Sentret said, coming forward quickly to grab Link's left forepaw and shake it.

"I'm Link," Link replied.

Malon suddenly paused in shaking his paw and stared at him. "Are you an Eevee?" she suddenly asked.

"Yeah," Link said.

"Wow," she murmured. After a second, she finally let his paw go and went over to Sallah. "Hello," she said enthusiastically, shaking Sallah's hand as well.

"I'm Sallah," she said quietly, the first words since the Tribe of Flames. At least she was finally speaking.

Grinning, she waved at them as she started walking around the building. "Come on; I'll give you the grand tour of Folk Ranch."

Link headed after Malon, smiling slightly at the Sentret's optimistic behavior. "I do have a-" Link began.

However, Malon interrupted him. "So, where are you two from?" she asked, heading farther into the ranch toward another building.

"We're from the forest," Link said. "But-"

"This is the home for the Miltank," Malon said, interrupting him again. Pointing toward another building, she said, "And that is the stable for all the Ponyta and Rapidash."

Link nodded at the information and once again tried to speak. "If-"

"That first building was my dad's home, while that building is the home for Tao and Geo and where we package everything. That last building is where we keep all our equipment and shipments. Let's go see Tao and Geo. My father went over there earlier," Malon said, heading toward another building.

Link sighed and just followed the energetic Pokemon, hoping he would be able to ask his question soon. Inside the building, Link saw the large form of Tao was sitting near a cart. Falon was on the seat he had been on before, sleeping once again. All around the cart were boxes that were slowly being filled with bottles of Moo-Moo Milk.

Beside Tao was a large, round, rock like Pokemon. It was almost as large as Tao was, with four long arms coming out of its sphere like body. All four of its arms moved at once, filling the boxes quickly.

"Tao, Geo, we have visitors!" Malon exclaimed as they entered.

"Visitors?" the large round Pokemon said in a gravelly like voice, turning around. "We don't have time for visitors."

Tao turned her head and smiled when she saw them. "Link, Sallah, you came all the way out here? It's good to see you," Tao said.

Link smiled and nodded. "It's good to see you, too."

"Wait, you know each other?" Malon asked.

"Tao and Falon gave us a lift over to Hyrule Market a while ago," Link explained.

"Yes. Did you take Blue to that orphanage?" Tao asked.

Link nodded and finally seeing a chance to speak, said, "Look, I'm-"

"Here you go," Malon suddenly said, holding out a bottle of Moo-Moo Milk.

Sighing again, Link took the bottle, pausing as Malon then gave bottles to both Blitz and Sallah. _I may as well drink it,_ Link thought, wishing he could ask his question now.

While Link began lapping up the delicious drink, Malon went over to her father, waking him with a slap of her tail. "Wake up, Daddy, we have guests," she said as he jumped up.

"He doesn't do any work around here. I should be the one in charge around here," Geo muttered quietly, though Link heard him.

"I'm awake," Falon murmured as he woke up, looking around sleepily. "I'm pretty tired, though. Give me a few more minutes," he added before lying back down and curling up to sleep again, making Malon sigh.

Seeing Link had finished the Moo-Moo Milk, Malon suddenly ran over, still bursting with energy. "Come on; I've got something else to show you," she said, heading out of the building.

_I guess I can always ask later, _Link thought, heading after the quick Sentret.

Blitz chuckled as he walked along beside him. "She's always like this," he explained.

Malon led them over to the large fence, jumping on her tail to raise her up to the top rail. "This is always the best spot to watch the sunset," she said, looking out at the grassy horizon.

Link hopped up onto the fence, balancing on one of the posts. "But it's still early in the day," Link commented.

Malon suddenly sighed. "There's not much left to do for a day, though. There's rarely anything that happens here. My dad says I'm still too young to go to the market with him, so I'm still stuck here." She looked out at the horizon longingly.

"What about your mother?" Link asked.

"She died before I was old enough to remember her," Malon murmured.

"Oh, I never met my mother, either, or my father," Link replied, his ears lowering at the thought. For some reason, the thoughts about his dream suddenly came to the forefront of his mind.

Malon suddenly reached over and pulled him into a hug. Link quickly backpedaled to keep his balance once she released him. "A hug makes everyone feel better," she said, smiling at him.

Oddly, Link found himself smiling back. "Thanks," he said.

"So what's it like out there in the world?" Malon asked, looking back out at the horizon.

"The forest is a breezy place with lots of shade and trees. We eat a lot of fruits out there and have all sorts of other Pokemon there. The Hyrule Market is a crazy, crowded place, though, but has a few fun places to go with all sorts of foods there if you have the money. The mountains are rocky and an uncomfortable place to sleep, but they do have some delicious berries there," Link said, losing himself in his memories.

They were quiet for a little, before Malon said, "I have a dream. I dream that one day, a handsome Pokemon will come just for me and then take me around the world to see it all. Do you have a dream? Why do you travel everywhere?"

Link paused, never having thought about it before. "Well, I guess it would be . . . to protect Hyrule," Link finished, remembering what Grace had last said. "Grace was a Shaymin and very close to me, like the mother I never knew. She always treated me kindly, and she asked me to stop an evil from taking hold of Hyrule. So, I'm now trying to collect three certain stones."

"That's an exciting dream, and you're getting to live it," Malon said, smiling. "Maybe my dream will come true someday."

Link's ears perked as he suddenly heard a far off noise. Looking up, he found that the noise was actually coming from the horizon they had been staring out. With the sun so close to the sound, Link had to squint his eyes, but he certain he saw something coming. When the sound repeating, he was sure it was coming from the flying thing.

The group stayed silent as they watched the fast progress of the Pokemon. The Pokemon rapidly flew toward them, landing on the fence between Malon and Link before Link had a good look at it. Startled at the sudden perching, Link fell off the fence.

Shaking his head to clear it, Link looked up at the large Pokemon. It closed its dark brown wings as it settled on the wood beam, a stern look on its beaked face. There were several black triangles on its chest, each pointing toward the ground. A large head piece on its face stayed above its eyes, coming to two points soaring toward the sky.

"Hoo, hoo, did I scare you, my boy?" the bird asked, its head tilting at a scary angle. "Hoo, hoo, sorry about that; never have learned how to make an entrance, have I? Hoo!"

"What are you?" Link asked.

Its head suddenly turned the other direction at even a scarier angle. "Hoo, hoo, you don't know me, yet, do you, my boy? I am Kaga, the Noctowl, and you are Link, the Eevee and the Hero of Sky," he said. Suddenly, its head flipped upside down, almost making Link retch at the sickening sight.

"How do you know me?" Link asked.

"Hoo, hoo, I have known of you and your destiny since you first came to the forest, my boy. I am the old friend of Grace, her messenger and watcher. I have come to tell you about the Eternal Water Stone. Hoo, hoo, it is located in the mystical realm of the water Pokemon, the Place of Waters," Kaga said, its head making another turn.

Link gasped. He now knew where the last stone was. "Where is this place?" Link asked.

"Hoo, hoo, your eyes alone tell me you're ready. Hop onto the fence, and I'll carry you there, my boy," Kaga said, taking off of the fence post.

Link nodded and hopped back up onto the fence post.

"Wait, you're leaving already, Link?" Malon asked, coming up to him. With her tail holding her up, she was still eye to eye with him.

"I'm come back," Link promised, watching as the Noctowl swung around in the sky to start coming down.

Suddenly, Malon leaned forward and kiss him on the cheek, making a blush rise to his cheeks. "You'd better. You come back, got it?"

"Yeah," Link replied, still slightly numb from the kiss.

Before he could say anything else, talons clutched his back and he was pulled high into the air. Wind rushed past him as Kaga took him up into the air. Looking down at the rapidly shrinking scene, Link saw Malon waving wildly as he left. Looking over, he saw Blitz nodding hard in his own way of waving.

Suddenly, Link saw Sallah still on the ground beside Blitz. "Wait, what about Sallah?" Link asked loudly, though the wind still took his question to the wind. He tried again, but the Noctowl still didn't hear him.

Finally, they shoot through some white stuff before coming to a land of white. All around below him, a white landscape covered the scene, a few pockets showing the actual land far below. After a few seconds, Link realized that he was now above the clouds.

Now that they were not moving as quickly, the wind calmer, Link raised his voice and asked, "What about Sallah?"

"Hoo, hoo, Sallah . . . isn't that the Togepi that Grace often talked to? That's right, she's traveling with you. Hoo, hoo, sorry, but I can only carry one this way, my boy. And she isn't needed for you to get the Eternal Water Stone, my boy," Kaga said, his large wings flapping occasionally to keep them aloft.

"But Sallah's supposed to come with me," Link said, trying to look back to see if they were in sight anymore.

"Hoo, hoo, I have known your destiny longer than even Grace had, my boy. You will be able to attain the final stone without her help," Kaga replied.

"But-" Link started.

"Hoo, hoo, we're here, my boy," Kaga suddenly said.

Distracted, Link looked down. In between two large white clouds, Link only saw a winding river. The rest seemed nowhere close to where the Folk Ranch had been. "I don't see anything," Link said.

"Hoo, hoo, you'll see," Kaga replied.

Suddenly, Link felt himself falling toward the land. Looking up, Link saw that the Noctowl had let go of him, letting him drop. Screaming, Link waved his limbs wildly as he tried to slow his descent somehow. The river was coming up fast, the water directly below him as he fell. Closing his eyes, Link felt himself slap the surface, pain surging through his body from the impact.

Bubbles gushed around him as he screamed into the water from the sudden pain. Not knowing how to swim, Link let himself flow along, bumping hard along the bottom of the river as he began to choke on the water.

Abruptly, Link was slammed into a hard rock, his head taking the blow. Link was quickly released from the added pain as he passed out into unconsciousness.


	15. The Unexpected Hero

**Author's Note: **For all you who have read the manga, this chapter is not in there, but one of my own creation to move along my personal plot and stuff. Time for the twisting to begin! Oh, and please review! Besides that, read- err, oh yeah! There is another poll. -EeveeInHeat

**Poll: **There is another Poll! After the last poll, I narrowed it down to two specific stories, each with a major portion of the plot already made. Check it out and choose _carefully_; this will decide which one I do once Silver is completed. It is a blind poll for a number of reasons, three of which are listed in "Silver" chapter 15 if you want to really see them.

**The Legend of Vulpix: Leaf of Time**

- **Chapter 15: The Unexpected Hero** -

Sallah watched stunned as the Noctowl suddenly took off with Link, leaving her behind on the ground. _What about me?_ she wondered, watching them slowly disappear into the sky.

"Does he always leave like that?" Malon asked, still looking out where Link had left.

Sallah smiled, despite of herself. "Well, since he was kissed by Rose when we left the forest, kissed by Princess Vulpix when we left the castle, and now kissed by you as he left the ranch, I would say yes," she said, trying to stay upbeat.

Blitz chuckled while Malon giggled at the joke. "Weren't you two traveling with him?" Malon asked.

"I guess I'm not anymore. I got enough adventure for the moment anyway," Blitz said.

Sallah sighed and fell back onto her rear. "He didn't need us anyway," she murmured, failing to keep up the positive outlook. The depression she had been feeling was now really sinking in, forcing her to admit her statement.

"Don't be like that," Blitz said, lying down beside her.

"I'm sure you helped Link a lot," Malon said, coming to her other side.

Sallah shook her head sadly. "No I didn't. Grace told me to go and help Link, and I haven't at all. From getting lost, to knowing only as much as him; I haven't even fought once. Link was the one that defeated the Galvantula in the forest, and he was also the one that found the way into the castle to reach Princess Vulpix. Blue was the one to stop that Octillery, and you, Blitz, was the one who had to help me get up to Muerte Mountain.

"Then when we faced the Donphan, we both ran instead of helping him fight. As soon as we were safe, we went straight back to the main entrance, not even caring enough that Link was still stuck in there with that beast," Sallah explained, tears starting to form in her eyes. "By the time I worked up enough courage to go and help, he had already defeated it. Even that Bagon and Pichu came to help him, and they're much younger than me.

"And now, when he has to get the last stone, I'm stuck here, unable to even try to help any more. I'm just plain useless," Sallah berated, her tears now sliding down her face.

"I feel bad about running off, too, but we couldn't have helped, Sallah. I knew it was a Donphan. Donphan are ground types, making my electric type moves useless. All I would have done was get in the way," Blitz said, trying to comfort the depressed Togepi. "Link didn't have any hard feelings, either."

"I'm sure Link doesn't think you're useless," Malon added, rubbing Sallah's back.

Sallah's shoulders slowly stopped shaking as she calmed down. "And now I'm sitting here doing nothing," she said, still depressed.

"Why don't you try to find Link again?" Malon suggested.

"Did you see how fast they flew? I'll never catch up to them. Besides, I don't even know where the Place of Waters is," Sallah said, shooting down the idea quickly. "And with his sense of direction, he'll never find this place again."

"Well, why don't you meet up with him?" Blitz suggested.

"I just said that I don't know-" Sallah started.

"But you do know we he's planning to go. When he gets the third stone, he'll head to the Hyrule Castle and Princess Vulpix again, right?" Blitz explained.

"You're right," Sallah said, getting up. "If I go back to the castle, he'll eventually go back there. I need to get going."

"Wait," Blitz said. "I'm coming with you."

"Aw, you're leaving again already?" Malon said sadly.

Blitz chuckled at her expression. "Yes. I haven't exactly seen the inside of the castle yet, and I'm excited to see if Link finishes his quest. Besides, Sallah doesn't know the way as well as I do and can't carry enough food to last her the trip back."

Malon suddenly jumped up, bubbling over with energy. "Then I'll go get you guys provisions. Oh, I'm so excited. Maybe I'll get to go next time," she rambled as she ran off.

"So I guess we're going now, then," Blitz said.

(0)

The two day trek was uneventful as the two companions marched through the tall grass. The tall wall surrounding the castle and market rose high above them as they came to the wooden drawbridge connecting the path to the market.

"So, how do we get to the princess?" Blitz asked as they entered the bustling market. In order not to get separated, Blitz was now carrying Sallah.

"Well, Link and I snuck in before, but I think we can get in normally now," Sallah said, her voice slightly raised when the noise everywhere. For some reason, the market seemed much more crowded than before, the noise much louder. Their progress so far had barely got them past the gate. They weren't about to get anywhere soon.

"I can't see well; which way are we supposed to go? Get on my head and see if you can see," Blitz said, his head craning up for the best height.

Sallah quickly compiled, balancing awkwardly on his narrow head. Various Pokemon were moving around, blocking a lot of her sight. However, she was able to see over some of them enough to find a less crowded spot nearby. "Go that way," Sallah said, pointing as she slid down onto Blitz's back again.

Blitz headed in the general direction, though they continued to be pressed on either side from the crowded area. Finally, Blitz pulled out of the majority of the crowd, coming into a much smaller area than before. They had stepped into the entrance of an alley, one that Sallah recognized.

"This is where we found the Bagon," Sallah said, pointing farther down the empty alley.

"Does this alley lead out of the market?" Blitz asked, looking back at the packed bazaar with unease. "I don't want to go back out there."

"I don't know, but it won't hurt to try. If it doesn't the market may get less crowded when we come back. Besides, we don't have to hurry much," Sallah replied.

"Good," Blitz said, looking away from the square contentedly.

Now able to walk freely, Sallah led the way down the alleyway, soon turning the very corner where they had met Blue. After the turn, the alley continued, the buildings rising two stories on either side of the pathway and casting the alley into a gloomy shadow. However, there was still enough light in the sky to keep it from being dark enough to be scary.

Doors were set in the walls on either side as they went, marking off long intervals. Coming to another turn, the duo started down an almost identical alleyway. After coming to several more turns in the apparent labyrinth, they finally had to admit that they were lost.

"How do we get out of here?" Blitz asked, looking around in confusion.

"Maybe I can jump high enough to see over the roofs?" Sallah suggested. Getting on Blitz's back, she leapt up high, but came down without cresting the ridge.

"Do you see any landmarks? Maybe we could use the wall or a tower as a guide," Blitz suggested. Once again, the suggestion went unusable.

"At least we have food," Sallah said, noticing it was starting to get late. "If Link was here, we would be lost and have no food."

Sallah sat down against a wall, tired of being lost. She paused as she heard something coming from behind the wall. Straining her small ears, Sallah tried to hear what it was.

"Maybe we could-" Blitz started.

Sallah quickly shushed him and waved him over. "I hear something," she whispered.

"Isn't it wrong to eavesdrop?" Blitz asked, though he moved around to hear the sounds better.

Sallah didn't answer and just continued trying to comprehend what she was sure was a conversation going on inside. However, she was unable to hear enough to make any sense. She glanced over at Blitz, and saw that he looked like he understood everything of the conversation.

"What are they saying?" Sallah asked quietly.

"There are two Pokemon talking about what they have to do for their job. Hang on, I'll repeat what their saying . . .

"'What do we do? Does he really expect us to try that in front of everyone?'

"'Yes, but our leader told us to listen to him no matter what. You know what he'll do if we don't obey.'

"'Our lives will be forfeit for this, I'm sure.'

"'Do you want to be the one to tell him no?'

"'No . . . We'd better get going if we're going to do it.'

"'Where will we strike? The king's rumored to be powerful. It has to be done in the first blow, or we'll fail.'

"'I think . . .'

"Uh, I can't hear them anymore," Blitz murmured, stunned at what he'd repeated.

"They're going to attack the king!" Sallah exclaimed, rapidly covering her mouth from how loud she had spoken. Both of them stayed tense for a moment before it was obvious that they weren't going to be attacked.

"We have to get out of here and warn him," Blitz said, looking around frantically for an exit.

Sallah started off, making Blitz chase after her in pursuit. "We need to find a way out as fast as possible; we can't do that sitting around," Sallah panted, trying to go fast on her two short legs. She gasped as she was swept off her feet and fell onto Blitz's back.

"Then you watch for any possible exits we miss," Blitz said, before speeding off quickly down the narrow passage.

It seemed an eternity before they finally found a way out and onto the outskirts of the market. Aiming directly for the castle, Blitz took off across the short grass. Soon reaching a dirt road, Blitz's hooves started to throw up a small cloud of dust behind him.

As they neared the castle, they went abruptly halted by two Watchog that stepped purposely in the way and blocked them. "Halt, who goes there?" one asked.

"I'm Sallah. I was here before, remember?" Sallah asked.

"You're that Togepi that snuck into the castle, aren't you? I will give you a fair warning to leave now, before we take you into custody," the Watchog said, taking a step forward.

"We've no time for this! Look, Luna said we were allowed through, remember? Besides, we have important information for the king," Sallah said, exasperated by the extra delay. They had already spent too much time in the alleys.

The Watchog paused, unsure of what to say or do. "Fine, you may pass," the Watchog finally replied, moving to the side.

Blitz responded by leaping forward into a gallop once more. They slowed as they came to the archway entrance to the castle. "We need to find the king," Sallah said, looking around for some sight of him.

"Let's find a good vantage point to look for him," Blitz said, starting up some steps nearby.

Following his suggestion, they continued up any stairs they got before finally coming to a nearby path that overshadowed a court. They paused as the saw the Pokemon down below inside of the court. Though there were various Pokemon everywhere, there was one that stood out from the rest, a small Vulpix with a blue bow on its ear.

"That's Princess Vulpix," Sallah said, pointing down at her.

"So is that Arcanine beside her the king?" Blitz asked.

Sallah glanced over at the large red creature. Its majestic red fur was covered with black stripes in an almost intimidating way. Its mane fur and tail fluff out, yet looked ordered, making him appear powerful somehow. His large size also seemed to send off a wave of authority and power.

"I think so," Sallah murmured, wondering why so many Pokemon were here. She froze at the next Pokemon she recognized. Standing directly across from King Arcanine was none other than Zoron, the Lucario. "That Lucario is Zoron."

"He doesn't look that bad," Blitz murmured back.

"I think that will conclude the meeting. You and your followers are dismissed," the king said, nodding his head in dismissal.

The next moment seemed to come in slow motion for the two onlookers. Out of the shadows in the courtyard, two small figures suddenly jumped forward, their speed making them almost a blur. Coming up to the large Arcanine, they raised their hands and slowed just long enough for the two spectators to see their sharp, purple claws, before they swung at the king's neck.

Several Pokemon screamed as the two assassins attacked, giving out the killing blow. Suddenly, their clawed hands were stopped in mid swing, stopping the attacks. The two Pokemon, now able to be identified as Sableye, froze as they looked back at the one who had stopped the attack, preventing the king's death.

Sallah's jaw dropped as she registered that it was Zoron who was holding the two back, his paws holding them completely still. With a single grunt, he pulled them off the ground and slammed them into each other hard, dropping the now unconscious assassins to the ground.

"Father, are you alright?" Vixen asked, quickly coming up to him.

At the same time, another Pokemon close by closed in, saying, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, my liege. Are you alright?" Zoron asked, kneeling in front of him.

"Yes, Zoron stopped them before they struck. You reacted quickly Zoron, and for that, I must reward you," the king said, stopping all the noise the commotion had drummed up.

In the brief respite in noise, two Watchog picked up the two assassins and took them away, all the onlookers' eyes on the pair. Zoron watched them leave, but the Lucario stayed patiently kneeling in front of the king.

Placing a large paw on one of the Lucario's shoulder, he said, "Your great bravery and quick instincts prove your worth. For these things and the service you provided, I now dub thee a knight of Hyrule. Rise, Sir Zoron."

As the king's paw slid off of his shoulder, Zoron slowly got up, making the Pokemon nearby start cheering. "Sir Zoron! Sir Zoron!" the crowd chanted.

Zoron appeared completely unmoved by the many spectators cheering for him. "Thank you, my liege. I will do my best to continue helping the kingdom of Hyrule," he said, bowing. The crowd almost went crazy at his words, their cheering increased. He turned and left through the opening crowd.

Sallah sat dumbfounded as the rest of the Pokemon filtered out. Zoron, their enemy, had just saved the king. "Does this mean we're targeting the wrong Pokemon?" she murmured.

"From what I've seen, I think so," Blitz replied, reminding her that he was there.

Soon, only the king, his daughter, and the other Pokemon that had spoken to the king after the attack were left in the courtyard. Without the crowd, Sallah was able to more discreetly able to see the Pokemon. It was large and had a yellow coat that flowed around its form. The most eye catching part of the quadruped, though, was the long, nine tails that it held elegantly behind it.

"I hope you see what Zoron is truly like now," King Arcanine said, turning to his Vulpix daughter.

"Honey, she is still young. She will learn as she grows," the other said, its voice obviously feminine.

"Who's that Pokemon?" Sallah quickly asked.

"Well, since that is the king, and that is the princess, I would say that the Ninetales is the queen," Blitz murmured back.

Princess Vulpix looked defeated as she nodded. Satisfied with her silent answer, the two monarchs left the court, leaving only the princess in there, alone.

"You shouldn't eavesdrop," a voice suddenly said, spooking Blitz and Sallah.

Flipping around, Sallah tried to calm her rapidly beating heart as she saw that it was only Luna. "Luna, we came to tell the king about the attempt, but we were too late," Sallah explained.

"Come, I'll lead you to the court," Luna said, walking over to a set of stairs nearby. Sallah slapped herself at the nearby entrance to the courtyard that they could have used. Sallah quickly followed the quadruped creature down to meet Princess Vulpix again.

"Is that you, Sallah? Is Link here? Did you gather the three stones already?" the Vulpix asked, rushing up excitedly.

Sallah looked down at her feet and sighed. "No, we got separated. Link's headed for the third stone right now. I knew he would come back here after he got it, so I came here to meet up with him. When we got here, though, we heard two Pokemon talking about attacking the king, so we rushed here, but I guess we were too late," Sallah explained.

"It would have been a blessing if you had made it," Princess Vulpix murmured. "Now, Zoron has been elevated in everyone's eyes by saving my father, though I'm sure he was in on it. I just know that he was the one in my dream."

"I guess we'll just have to hope that Link gets here quickly," Sallah replied, not voicing her new found doubts. Zoron couldn't possibly have given the orders all the way back in the market. Those two sounded as though they had just been given orders, not following a given deadline. Could Zoron possibly not be a bad guy?

(0)

"You failed," the creature said in an icy cold, even voice.

The Sableye shivered, wishing he had been captured instead of facing his leader's master. He could almost feel the sharp claw against his throat already. "We . . . we did not expect resistance, especially-"

"Quiet. You have failed, but I have something else you can do. Complete it, and I might just let you live," the black Pokemon said, tapping his claws together. "As long as those two stay silent like they've been taught, my plan will still work."

The Sableye almost objected, knowing the new mission would be an impossible feat just to torture him before he was killed. Mentally closing his eyes, he listened as he was given his assignment, hoping his leader would come back and explain soon.


	16. The Place of Waters

**Author's Note: **So sorry for the delay. For some reason, this chapter was hard to write, or at least the beginning part. I actually thought this chapter would be easy to write, but I guess I was wrong. Anyway, here's the chapter. Hope you like the twists! Oh, one more thing, there are a few more additional generation V Pokemon here, so be prepared. -EeveeInHeat

**The Legend of Vulpix: Leaf of Time**

- **Chapter 16: The Place of Waters** -

Link slowly opened his eyes, groaning from a pulsing pain in his head. His vision slowly came into focus, and he saw a strangely blue colored wall nearby. Confused, Link tried to raise his head, only to stop as the ache in his head increased.

With nothing to do, Link simply stayed still and tried to remember what happened last. _Ranch . . . Bird . . . River . . . I fell in the river!_ Link remembered, his head shooting up. He groaned loudly as his headache increased, but he found that it wasn't as bad as before. The pain in his head was fading.

After a few minutes, Link slowly turned his head in take in the rest of the room. The room was a small, blue chamber and more rounded than square like other constructions Link had seen. Also, the material of the walls, though smooth, seemed almost natural.

Link froze as he saw the doorway and what was in it. Several long, clear blue, vertical poles were placed in very small intervals along the entrance, blocking the only entrance or exit. He was trapped inside the room.

Starting to panic, Link started to get up, only to fall as his wobbly legs gave way. His legs felt as unstable as a set of Ditto, as if he had walked for a whole day without resting. Sighing at his immobile state, Link simply got into a more comfortable position and tried to rest.

A question suddenly came to his mind. _Where is all this light coming from?_ he wondered, raising his head to try and see it. The light seemed to be coming from past the bars, though he couldn't get a good view with his distance from it.

Sighing from all the questions raging through his head, Link simply rested, waiting for something else to happen. Eventually, all of the remaining pain in his head faded, and he was able to fall into a slight doze for a while.

Link was startled out of his quiet doze from a quiet plopping sound nearby. Lifting his head, Link saw a creature came into view on the other side of the bars. The strange creature was orange and walked on its two back legs. It had a yellow float thing around its neck and short, blue fins on its arms. Its two tails had a cream tip on them.

"Who are you?" Link asked, sitting up. For some reason, his voice came out a little scratchy.

"So, you're awake. That's good; Lord Wailord doesn't like dead sacrifices," the Pokemon muttered.

"Uh, sacrifices?" Link asked hesitantly, half wishing not to know.

"You're to be a sacrifice to the great Lord Wailord. Your unconsciousness has made him wait two whole days," it said, finally addressing him.

Link swallowed nervously, wondering who this Lord Wailord was. _I've been asleep two days?_ "Uh, w-why? H-how did I-I get here?" Link asked.

"You know of your crimes to the great Samuel. You attacked the great Samuel's messenger, and then you dared to blaspheme us by invading the precious Place of Waters? You will now pay as a sacrifice," the Pokemon said, before turning and seeming to dive into the floor with a quiet splash.

Confused, Link got up on his still weak legs and wobbled over to the bars. Past them was a small rock platform of the same wall blue color. After that, there was water all the way out to the far wall, where there were several other cells like his. The light seemed to come from the water itself, lighting up the whole area.

Link sighed and sat back, taking in this new information. He was sure he had heard of the great Samuel before, but he couldn't place it at the moment. More important, was the fact he was about to become a sacrifice to some Lord Wailord. He needed to get away somehow.

However, as Link tried to think about a way out, his stomach took the moment to announce its desire for food. As soon as he began to think about it, he realized he was starving and was extremely thirsty. His throat immediate went from feeling normal to feeling dry.

_Need water,_ Link blankly thought, looking around frantically.

He stopped as he saw the bars of his cell. The bars were in fact made of ice, the reason for the light blue transparency. Fervent, Link immediately licked one of the bars. However, as soon as his tongue touched the ice, it stuck. Link tried to pull away, but the pain stopped him. Trying something different, Link blew onto the ice bar through his open mouth. Slowly, the ice began to melt and Link eagerly allowed the water to slide into his still stuck mouth to satisfy his thirst. Finally, his tongue unstuck and he pulled away.

Still horribly thirsty, Link blew on the bar again before timidly licking it once more. He sighed as his tongue didn't stick, and he began to lick away at the ice, trying to quench his desire for water. The process was slow, but by the time he was done, he had licked away part of four of the bars.

Link sat back, the worst of his thirst gone, when he realized there was now a large hole in the bars in front of him. Glad for the way out, Link slipped through the hole and stepped out onto the platform. Once out, he glanced around the large chamber. Other than the other cells all barred off, he didn't see another way out.

Link paused as he realized the whole area was filled with water; he couldn't swim. Feeling defeated, he sat down numbly, not a single chance of escape now. Seeing nothing else to do, Link leaned over and began to lap up the water. Soon, the whole of his thirst was quenched, and he sat back to wait for something else to happen, hoping he would get to eat soon.

Eventually, the water rippled nearby and a head popped out. It was startled to see Link there and quickly scrambled up onto the small platform. It was large and mostly a dull blue. Its back a darker blue ripple going down it along with purple surrounding it. The Pokemon seemed bloated from its usual solid shape and large arms. Even though its eyes were rather small, it still seemed able to send full emotions through them as it glared at Link.

"So you tried to escape. Well, you will have no more time for that," it said, before picking Link up off the ground. Not expecting that, Link squirmed, but the hold on him was too strong while his legs padded only air. "It is time to go before the great Samuel."

And with that mysterious statement, the Pokemon dived into the water still holding Link tight. The movement was so quick Link didn't have time to take a breath. Instinctively, he opened his mouth to take a breath, only to receive a mouth full of water. Bubbles quickly surged up in front of him as he tried to rid himself of the water.

Finally, he closed his mouth, realizing he needed to hold his breath still. As they continued through the water, all Link could think about was air, his lungs starting to burn now. Distracted by his lack of oxygen, Link didn't watch their path as they went along to wherever the Pokemon was headed.

Link gasped for air as soon as they surfaced somewhere. His chest heaving, he spit out the water that had got into his mouth and focused on breathing. His head was swimming from no air for so long, but his frantic gasps soon replenished his supply. Once his vision had become clear once more, Link looked up to see where they were now.

They were in another large chamber, though this one didn't have any rooms going out from it. In the middle was the section of the strange blue ground they were standing on, while water surrounded it like an island.

Link gasped as he saw the nearby, giant, light gray statue that stood partly on the land, the rest going way out to slowly sink into the water. The thing almost resembled a huge Pokemon with the apparent mouth standing open. At the back was a tunnel leading into shadows, almost like a giant throat. Even with the mouth being only partly open, though, every Pokemon Link knew could walk inside without hitting their head all the way back to the carved out throat.

"Here is the sacrifice, oh great Samuel," the Pokemon that had carried him said.

Wondering who he was talking to, Link looked away from the large statue to see three Pokemon standing to his left. One of them he instantly recognized; it was the Octillery from the bridge. The red creature was staring straight at Link in disdain.

Next to it was a much larger creature that Link had never seen before. The quadruped creature was mostly blue, though it had sand colored shells on its legs with a spike and helmet on its forehead to match. Long white fur draped from the sides of its muzzle, making it appear wise and yet still strong.

The creature next to it was almost like the orange creature from before, but it was much larger with a larger orange thing that draped down its body. The three Pokemon definitely made an opposing sight.

"That's the one, sire, I'm sure of it," the Octillery suddenly announced, pointing a long tentacle at Link.

"Young Eevee, come forward to face your charges," the large blue Pokemon stated. From his stance and authority, Link guessed this was the great Samuel.

Unsure of what was happening, Link stepped forward a few paces.

"You have been accused of attacking my messenger who was searching for my precious daughter and infiltrating our secret realm. You have been found guilty of both charges. You will be sacrificed to the great lord Wailord," Samuel announced in a deep monotone voice.

Taking advantage of the pause in his speech, Link asked, "Who is this lord Wailord?"

The other Pokemon gasped, but Samuel kept his peace. "The lord Wailord is none other than the great creator and sustainer. You shall have the honorary position to be a sacrifice to him," Samuel explained.

Link paused at the Pokemon's declaration. Like any young Pokemon, he had heard of the mysteries and tales of legendary Pokemon, whether fictional or not, but he had never heard of one being called a Wailord. "So you serve the lord Wailord?" When the large blue Pokemon nodded, Link continued, "Why Wailord and not a legendary?"

The Pokemon once again gasped; even Samuel appeared startled at the question. "He dares to defy the great lord Wailord! We must sacrifice him now!" the Octillery exclaimed.

Samuel nodded and gestured to the large statue. "You will now go into the tribute to lord Wailord to be sacrificed immediately. Go in peace now, and lord Wailord may give you peace in the afterlife."

Link tried to speak, but an abrupt shushing sound came from the Pokemon who had brought him. Unable to do anything else, Link sighed and turned toward the stone statue. As he stepped onto it, he instantly felt the difference from the weird blue floor to the light gray stone. After pausing, he continued on and headed for the tunnel at the back, his steps slightly slowed by his partly dry coat.

Reaching it, Link looked in and saw the tunnel went on back, sloping slightly downward. He looked back at the other Pokemon, but the Pokemon waved him on. Sighing again, Link started to go down the dark tunnel.

Link quickly lost track of how far he had gone in the passageway after he entered the blackness. The path never veered, or didn't seem to as Link walked in what he thought was a straight line. Even when his stomach started growling he wasn't sure if he had been there long since he hadn't eaten in two days.

Link was beginning to wonder if he should stop when he saw a flicker of light ahead. Quickening his step, he hurried toward the source. Soon, Link saw that the light was actually coming from a large pool of water marking off a dead end. Sighing, Link sat down to wonder what to do now.

A quiet splash was all the warning Link had before he was thrown onto his back. Yelping in surprise, Link found himself suddenly pinned onto his back and something sharp pressed against his chest.

"Are you a sacrifice?" a voice demanded.

"Y-yes?" Link replied, unsure if he should answer.

Suddenly, he was released just as quickly as he had been pinned. "Okay, good then. I thought my father had finally sent someone after me," the voice replied.

Link cautiously got up to see a small, strange Pokemon nearby. Its body was blue, while its head was white and it had two bipedal, dark blue feet and small fin like clown. With a large dark orange nose and two short, stubby dark blue ears, the Pokemon almost looked comical, if it wasn't for the sharp gleam of authority in its eye. It was holding a small shell which it quickly put onto its chest.

"Sorry for that, but I can take no chances with our plans almost complete. I am Stella the Oshawott and soon to be ruler of the Place of Waters," the Pokemon introduced.

"I'm Link, an Eevee. I'm here to find the Eternal Water Stone, or at least was," Link replied.

"It seems you have an interesting story to tell us. Please, follow me to our base," Stella said, heading over to the water.

"Uh, I can't swim," Link slowly admitted.

The Oshawott paused for a second before she held out her hand. "Don't worry; I can take you, just hold your breath," she said.

Link was hesitant to go back into any water at the moment, but obliged her raising one of his front paws to her. Taking a deep breath, Link jumped in with Stella and let her lead him through the water. With his eyes partly open this time, he could see small clear crystals in the water that were the source of the light he had seen.

Thankfully, the passage was short, and Stella brought him out before he started to feel like he was drowning again. Link shook himself slightly to rid himself of some of the weighty water before he looked around at his new surroundings.

It was a chamber slightly smaller than the one with the statue in it. Link gasped as he realized this must be the rest of the huge statue. Several Pokemon were milling around, many of them traveling around in small streams that interlaced the area. The chamber was once again lit by the strange crystals in the water.

"This is our base of operations," Stella declared, waving her arms at the sight. "Here, come with me."

Link followed the short Pokemon through the crowd and to a small cleared area that seemed reserved. There was a small stone seat against the wall that Stella immediately took. Link sat down on the ground in front of her.

"Now, I will explain the outline of everything since you probably know nothing of the Place of Waters," Stella said, only to be stopped as Link's stomach growled and reminded Link that he was hungry. Stella giggled a little and tapped the seat with her shell. A Pokemon quickly ran up to her. "Please bring this Eevee some lunch."

The Pokemon nodded in reply and quickly ran off. Link's mouth almost started watering at the sound of food, but his attention came back to the present as Stella continued.

"The Place of Waters is the realm of us, the water Pokemon," she started. "We are a monarchy and rule by a single Pokemon that is usually a Samurott. The ruling is passed onto the child, who must set up its rule by conquering the current ruler; that is the tradition. As only child of the great Samuel, I, Stella the Oshawott, shall take over to establish my rule now.

"Most Oshawott wait until they evolve into Samurott to try to conquer since they need to be powerful. However, my father has become a burden nobody can stand. Though my people have always given sacrifices to the lord Wailord, many wonder why we serve it. I, myself, have heard the tales of Arceus and Mew and know that the supposed lord Wailord is no creator at all.

"Also, I detest the giving of sacrifices, one of the reasons I set up base here. Not only are most of the reasons for sacrificing ignorant, lives should not be taken for some god who has never shown himself; another reason to doubt him.

"However, it all went overboard when my father supposedly had a prophetic vision. He believed that when he went to the lord Wailord one time while alone, the statue actually came alive, the stone taking on color as it began to move. He says that the Wailord told him that if he offered the Eternal Water Stone to him, he would put a great blessing on the Place of Waters.

"Realizing my father had truly gone insane, I fled with the Eternal Water Stone to the last place he would go, the inside of the statue. The Eternal Water Stone is what has given many of us our power, and I would never give up such a great stone for a simple blessing from some stupid statue.

"After gathering our light crystals to light the inside, I pulled in everyone I knew that was against the ways of the lord Wailord, who then brought others they knew who disliked his practices. With this large gathering under my control, I will now soon lead them against my father to take over and destroy this foolish practice once and for all," Stella announced, raising her shell high into the air with a hand.

They were interrupted as the Pokemon came back with several berries on a stone platter. It placed the platter in front of Link before retreating away. Link paused, but Stella nodded for him to eat. Link ravenously started eating the large meal, his hunger taking over.

Stella giggled at his show. "I see you have been starved more than the sacrifices usually are, just another reason to stop Samuel soon. We will be launching our attack soon. Are you willing to join our cause?"

Link swallowed the bite he had taken and nodded. "I guess I could help stop this thing, though that's not why I came here, or rather dropped here."

"Why don't you tell me your story now?" Stella asked, sitting back in her chair.

Regretfully turning from the rest of his meal, Link explained his quest and how he had gotten to this strange place. Stella listened intently and was silent for a while after his finished, allowing him to go back to his meal.

"The Eternal Water Stone is a precious item to us, but I hope you will still be willing to fight with us. Also, I will need to find this secret entrance and find a way to seal it once I become queen. It would not do to be surprised by an ambush from another group right after I take the throne," Stella said.

Before Link could reply, the Pokemon from before rushed up. "Oh, majestic Stella, we have finished the preparations," it said, giving a slight bow.

Stella nodded and got up. She turned to Link with a small grin on her face. "Come on; the battle is upon us!"

(0)

The small Pokemon sighed as he poured the contents of the small bucket on the straw roof of the house. The Sableye could not believe his good favor, since his master's leader was never kind. However, maybe his master's leader knew that his master had stopped the plan. Maybe his master had already explained.

No matter what, though, he was just glad for his luck. Instead of some unreachable goal, he had been given a rather simple task, to pour this strange liquid onto the roofs of several houses in this area. With his Ghost-type advantage and using the techniques of Faint Attack, he could do this without ever being seen, even in broad daylight.

Sighing in relief once more, he continued his menial task, wondering once again what this stuff was that he was pouring.


	17. The Last Stone

**Author's Note: **I can't believe I gave a two week delay! I really am sorry, since the real reason was that I was just lazy. Anyway, hope this chapter satisfies until I finish the plot building next one. -EeveeInHeat

**The Legend of Vulpix: Leaf of Time**

- **Chapter 17: The Last Stone** -

Link still had one berry left to eat, but got up and followed the Oshawott over to the spot everyone was crowding around. Though there was a large crowd already gathered, the Pokemon separated and allowed her and Link easily through, though.

In the middle was actually just a patch of real dirt. However, there was an intricate layout marked on it, with several smaller markings and boundaries made. Stella stepped up to the picture while Link watched from the edge of the large crowd.

"Now, Tails the Floatzel, come here," she called. A tall orange Pokemon, like the one next to Samuel from before, came forward and gave a small bow. "Lead your section to take the eastern chambers," Stella ordered, pointing at a section of the layout.

The Pokemon nodded and headed away in a quick jog, several of the Pokemon breaking away to follow him. They all started to dive in several small pools set aside against the wall.

"Tusks the Walrein," Stella continued. A large Pokemon slid forward on its stomach, the most prominent feature on its large, light blue body being the two large tan tusks curving down from its mouth. "You're to take the southern chambers." Once again, she pointed at another small section of the drawing.

Tusks nodded and slid away to wait behind the last of the other group, several Pokemon following him as well. The crowd around them was now relatively small with only a score or so Pokemon left.

"And finally, Fishlegs the Mudkip," Stella said. A small blue Pokemon stepped forward, a fin sticking from its head and another, lighter blue one as its tail. It had two orange, spiky cheeks, but still looked more cute than powerful. "I've left your group the northern and western areas, okay?" She made a wide sweeping line across most of the picture, creating a much larger section than the others.

"We'll do it quickly," he promised, running out toward the smaller, unused exits. The others followed, and Link counted exactly twenty among them, all looking smaller and weaker than the other groups.

With the crowding press gone, Link looked around to see only one other Pokemon besides him and Stella. It was a strange Pokemon with blunted spikes sticking out all over its body, the top part pink with the bottom of it white. However, even mostly pink it appeared tough with the steely stone expression on its face.

"Uh, was I supposed to go with one of them?" Link asked, feeling left out.

"Nonsense," Stella replied, coming over to pat him on the back. "You're coming with us to take the center chambers. Link, this is Corral the Corsola and chosen bodyguard of yours truly. Corral, this is Link the Eevee, the third member of our little group."

"Nice to meet you," Link greeted.

The Corsola suddenly gave him a glare for a few seconds before returning to her stock body position once more.

Stella chuckled. "That means you pass," she replied, leaving Link to wonder what he passed and what would have happened if he didn't.

"Uh, what are the center chambers?" Link asked, moving on.

"Those include the throne chamber and the lord Wailord chamber. Our monarch rules in the throne chamber, while the Wailord statue is in the lord Wailord chamber. That's why they were positioned in the center," Stella explained. "Come; it is time we go."

Link followed her and Corral over to another small pool of water. Before Link could say anything, Stella had taken his paw, and they were going into the pool. Link quickly held his breath and waited as they led him through the water. Before long, they emerged on some of the strange blue land. Link started to catch his breath as he looked around. He saw the room that held the Wailord statue, though the other Pokemon were gone.

"We'll let you take a break, and then we'll attack the throne room," Stella explained, sitting back to wait for him.

Link nodded and concentrated on making his breath return to a normal pace. While Corral was watching the water closely, Stella was looking in another direction, though Link could tell that she was watching him out of the corner of her eye.

Once Link caught his breath, they went back into the water. The trip was much shorter this time when they resurfaced. In the new chamber, Link saw that there were two Pokemon already there. It was Samuel and the Floatzel that had been standing near him before.

"Father, your reign ends now. I claim the throne and the leadership of the Place of Waters," Stella announced.

"Stella? Where have you been? And what is all this nonsense?" Samuel asked, getting up. The Floatzel moved closer to Samuel, watching the newcomers closely.

"I am taking over. Will you give up willingly?" Stella asked, puffing out her chest.

Samuel's confused look only lasted for a second before he finally realized what was happening. "Don't kid yourself. We will fight, and when you lose, you will be punished for running off," Samuel said, getting into a fighting stance.

Suddenly, the Floatzel darted forward, a flow of water wrapping around it as it charged. Corral jumped up and rammed right into it, both of them stopping in midair as their attacks cancelled each other out.

Link glanced at Stella, unsure which to fight, when she nodded toward the Floatzel. Finally having a target, Link came up to stand beside Corral and face his opponent. The Pokemon snickered and shot a blast of water at him and Corral. Link and Corral jumped apart, easily dodging the water.

As they landed, the Floatzel put its hands together and suddenly shot a burst of bubbles at Corral. The Corsola quickly replied by leaning forward and shooting several small pin needles at the speeding bubbles. Though outnumbered, the needles made quick work of the attack as they met halfway. The two attacks pressed against each other, making a standoff as each Pokemon tried to gain the upper hand.

Utilizing the distraction, Link quickly charged a Shadow Ball and shot it toward the Floatzel. It glanced over as the sphere flew towards it, but didn't look worried. Instead, it reached out with its two long tails and lightly tapped the sides of the attack before spinning them. The shadowy ball immediately changed directions and flew past Link, crashing into the wall behind him.

As the Floatzel returned its attention to trying to overpower Corral, Link tried to think of what to do next. Seeing no small items around to throw, he simply charged at the orange Pokemon. The Floatzel glanced at him and smirked, his tails whipping around to protect it once more. However, Link launched himself at one of the tails and latched onto it with his small canine teeth.

The Floatzel let out a small howl and slammed its tail into the ground. Though Link's head immediately started pounding from the impact, he sunk his teeth in deeper. Suddenly, the Floatzel's other tail slammed into him, throwing him off quickly with the powerful blow. However, his distraction had been enough, and Corral's attack came through to hit the water type in the chest and throw it back. The Floatzel tried to get up, but Corral charged into it, knocking it out as its head hit the ground again.

Panting slightly, Link got up, a little dizzy at first, and turned to look for Stella. The small Oshawott was racing around her much larger father, pausing occasionally to slash at him with her shell. Samuel kept trying to get her, but she was easily able to stay out of reach with her higher speed.

Link was about to head over to help Stella, when Corral stepped in front of him. "Stella must defeat him on her own," she explained.

Link was confused, but sat down to watch. Stella made quick work on with her attacks, slicing at just the right places to get past the shell armor the Samurott was wearing. Though Link wanted to help, Stella seemed to have it all under control as the almost one sided battle continued. It wasn't long before Samuel finally collapsed under her blows.

"Fine, fine, I give," Samuel panted.

Stella proudly puffed out her chest at her achievement, holding her shell high in the air. "I, Stella the Oshawott, now claim the throne as mine," she announced. Confused, Link glanced around, but saw no visible throne in the chamber.

"She means figuratively," Corral explained.

A small splash announced the arrival of the Mudkip, Fishlegs. "We've cleared out our section," Fishlegs announced, raising a paw to salute Stella.

"Good, then let it be known that I have taken control. As my first decree, all practices of the lord Wailord are to be abolished immediately. Go and tell my new subjects the news," Stella commanded as she replaced her shell on her chest, waving the Mudkip away.

As the Mudkip left, Samuel, still collapsed on the floor, spoke up. "Abolished! How can you just throw out our faith like that? The lord Wailord will surely now curse us, especially without the Eternal Water Stone being given."

"If there really is a lord Wailord, let him show himself. Also, the Eternal Water Stone is our heritage, not something that I will give to some statue," Stella replied.

Samuel snorted at her statement, but gave no other reply.

Turning away from the downed Samurott, Stella came over to Link. "So, the battle is over. Thank you for helping us," she said.

"That quickly?" Link asked, a little confused. He expected a little more resistance than this.

"All the takeovers are quick. The other Pokemon rarely disagree with a change in leadership, as all as protocol is taken. With my father's forces finished, we're done," Stella explained.

Shrugging, Link tried to think of what to do next. He could head back to Hyrule Castle, but needed the Eternal Water Stone first. "Uh, Stella, what about the Eternal Water Stone? I need it to stop Zoron."

"Link . . ." Stella started, only to trail off. She was silent for a moment, before she finally continued in a hesitant voice, her face turning slightly red as she shuffled her feet a little. "Actually, when a new leader takes over, it is usually customary for them to take a . . . significant other when they come of age. If not, they can always agree upon a future reunion with someone through the giving of the protection of the Eternal Water Stone. Will you . . . be my fiancée?" Stella asked.

Corral sighed and placed an arm over her face, while Link tried to understand what she meant. _What's a fiancée, and what does she mean by significant other? _Link wondered. Giving up, Link finally decided that he would do whatever it was she wanted if it meant he got the Eternal Water Stone. "Okay," Link replied.

Stella instantly let out a small squeal, though she quickly covered it. "Really? Corral, go get the stone right away," Stella instructed.

Corral sighed again and walked away, quietly muttering under her breath, "She went to all this work and then just gives it away."

As they waited for Corral to get back, the Floatzel and Walrein Stella had sent out came back to report that they were done, quickly being sent back out to tell of Stella's victory and first decree. Finally, Corral reappeared, a small stone clutched between its arms.

The small stone was a dark blue, with a few small, lighter blue blobs in the stone. The stone seemed to glow slightly, making the inside appear as though it was really water. Like the other two stones, there was a small golden strand spiraling up around the side from top to bottom.

"Do you have something to carry this in? If you touch it, you'll evolve," Corral warned.

"Yeah, just put it in . . . my . . . bag . . ." Link said, pausing as he glanced back at his side. The small brown bag wasn't there. Starting to panic, Link checked himself fully over, only to find that his bag was really gone. "My bag!" Link exclaimed wildly. Without it, he didn't have the other two stones. How could he lose it? When did he lose it?

"Your bag?" Stella asked.

"The brown bag I was carrying. It had the other two stones in it. What do I do? I need that bag!" Link exclaimed, his panic growing.

"Calm down, Link; if you had it when you got here, they would have taken it away. It's probably in the storage chamber," Stella replied, her explanation helping Link to settle down some. "Corral, will you check for his bag?"

Corral nodded and put the Eternal Water Stone down to dive back into the water. A silence fell as Link waited for Corral to reappear. Hopefully, she would find it; if not, that meant he lost it in the raging river.

Link let out a sigh as Corral finally resurfaced, the bad draped across her back. "Thanks," Link said as he slid the wet pouch back on. He could feel the weight of the two stones resting against his side. "I don't know what I would have done without it."

"Here you go," Stella said, slipping the Eternal Water Stone into his pouch.

"Thanks, Stella. Now, do you know how I can get to Hyrule Castle?" Link asked.

Stella nodded and held out her hand, meaning they were going to go swimming again. Taking a deep breath, Link took Stella's hand and let her lead him through the water. The trip was slightly long, but he held back his panic. Even so, Link frantically pulled in air once they emerged from the cool water.

Looking around, Link saw that he was on actual dirt and earth, not the strange blue stuff in the other rooms. The section of ground went up against the wall, the center holding what appeared to be a section of water rapidly falling out of sight. A loud roaring sound was coming from the water, and Link realized it was the back part of a waterfall.

"This is our main entrance," Stella said, raising her voice over the loud crashing noise. "If you go out here and follow the river, you'll reach Hyrule Castle after about a day's walk."

"Okay, I'll be on my way then," Link said, starting forward.

"Come back when you're done," Stella reminded. Stepping forward quickly, Stella pecked him lightly on the cheek before turning to dive back into the water with Corral.

Link watched the spot Stella had gone for a second, still not used to being kissed, when he shook his head to clear it. He had finally gotten the third stone. Now he just needed to get back to Hyrule Castle.

Link stepped out onto the small path behind the waterfall, the sound almost deafening as it sprayed water on him from crashing into the pool. Coming around it, he stopped in shock as he walked into darkness. The sun was nowhere to be seen in the cloudless sky, though the colors suggested that it had just set. While in the caves he hadn't had a sense of what time it was with its artificial light.

However, he pushed the worry of it being night to the back of his mind as he realized he was on his return journey. His quest would soon be coming to an end, and Zoron would finally be stopped.

His excitement building, Link charged down the small path, almost immediately slowing as he found his vision limited from the darkness. However, he still let out a whoop of excitement as he went on toward Hyrule Castle.

Slowly, night took full effect. Link, though, still full of energy, continued on through the night, using the light from the moon and stars to watch his steps and letting the river guide him along the correct path, which soon returned to the familiar grassland surrounding Hyrule. By the time Link was growing tired, the horizon was starting to lighten slightly.

Using the tall grass as bedding, Link curled down to rest for the night, or rather day. With his progress, he should reach Hyrule soon after he awoke.


End file.
